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| SCVO
ATTACKS NEW LOTTERY PLANS AND CALLS FOR DEVOLVED FUNDING |
03/07/03 |
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Tessa
Jowell's plans for revamping the lottery have angered leaders of Scotland's
charity sector, and prompted a renewed call for a devolved Lottery distributor.
The SCVO attacked the white paper for raising "more questions than
answers", and reiterated concerns that charities in Scotland will be
hit hard if good causes cash is cut by 11% because of money being diverted
to London's Olympic bid.
Its director of corporate affairs, Lucy McTernan, said: "The problem with
management of lottery issues in the past is that the decisions are not accountable
in Scotland. If you look at bodies like NOF with its single UK board or
the Millennium Commission, all their decisions are taken in London.
"The white paper seems to suggest, with its proposals for the Olympics and
other
so-called 'transformational' projects, that this centralised approach is
set to continue overall which is why we want to work with the Executive
and the DCMS to ensure at least the structure of the new distributor as
fully as possible reflects the reality of devolution.
"If the Olympics bid is successful, it will inevitably lead to the long-term
damage of Scotland's charity work as lottery funds are diverted from good
causes here to bankroll another 'Millennium Dome' type project there.
"Voluntary organisations north of the border are rightly asking how this
will help Scottish communities. I encourage Scottish voluntary organisations
to respond to this white paper by urging the DCMS to establish a Scottish
distributor."
The SCVO also points out that there is little in Jowell's paper on how a
new distributor for funding (made from the merger of the New Opportunities
Fund and the Community Fund UK), will be governed.
SCVO met UK ministers recently to press for new body to look after Scotland's
lottery funding priorities to ensure lottery fund money is spent effectively.
This position was bolstered by a Scottish Executive statement which favoured
the wielding of 'relevant powers' by Scottish ministers to direct funding
made by the merged body.
In its programme for government, the Executive bears a commitment to securing
'a Scottish Opportunities Fund to provide sustainable core funding to relevant
voluntary organisations'.
The position on devolved governance of the new NOF/CF body is supported
by SCVO's sister organisations the NCVO, Wales Council for Voluntary Action,
and Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action.
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