The general public is to vote on how over £50m of lottery money should be awarded to good causes via a new television show called The People’s Millions.

The show, which is due to be launched on ITV on Friday 3 June, is the result of government plans to consult with the public on a wider basis before allocating funds.

Tessa Jowell, secretary of state for culture, media and sport, said: “Lottery money is not government money. It’s not distributors’ money. It belongs to the people of Britain who play the Lottery. It is venture capital for their communities.

“In the future the public will have a far greater say over where Lottery money goes, they will be able to get involved via public opinion polls, citizens’ juries, focus groups, internet surveys, telephone, internet, text or television voting for individual projects or by joining a local or regional awards panel.”

The need for greater public involvement forms part of the Lotteries Bill, which was published last week. Also in the bill was the formalisation of the merger of the New Opportunities Fund, the Communities Fund and the Millennium Commission into the Big Lottery Fund.

A copy of the bill is available from www.publications.parliament.uk