Recent amendments to the National Lottery Bill are of major concern to the voluntary and community sector, NCVO has said.

It is accusing the government of downgrading its commitment to the sector following the announcement from Richard Carborn, the Lotteries Minister, that the Big Lottery Fund (BLF), and not government, will decide on what proportion of monies will be dedicated to charitable and voluntary organisations. This appears to be a u-turn on his stance earlier this year when he confirmed that between 60 and 70% of the BLF’s income is guaranteed to be awarded to the sector.

In addition, there are fears that an amendment seeking to alter the definition of charitable expenditure from “funding charitable and philanthropic institutes” to “funding charitable and philanthropic purposes” will also reduce the amount available for the sector.

Pete Moorey, parliamentary and campaigns officer at NCVO says: “The BLF board only remains in its current form until 2009, when it and its funding priorities could change. We think that the commitment to 60 to 70% of funds being guaranteed for the sector should be enshrined on the Bill to ensure the figure cannot be reduced. This combined with the fact that the government is seeking to change the definition of charitable expenditure means that the guarantee of sector funding isn’t as firm as we’d like it to be.

“Organisations from across the whole sector now need to press MPs about how important this guarantee is, so that when the bill comes back to the Commons for its report and third reading phase, the sector’s voice is heard,” he continued.

The Bill is due to complete its progress through the Committee Stage tomorrow.