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From the December 2000 / January 2001 Issue Contents: Joint Lottery Portal to be LaunchedThe
Lottery distributors are planning to start a joint Lottery portal
shortly and are ‘investigating the viability’ of a joint Lottery
helpline. Barbara Bloomfield reports. The
Boards are hoping to launch the new portal in February. There will be a
joint website which will ask the enquirer some basic questions and,
within three or four screens, they will be directed to the most suitable
programme. The
aim, says the New Opportunities Fund which is leading the initiative, is
to “simplify and end confusion over who to apply to for grant
funding.” A joint Lottery hotline may also be on the way. There is
likely to be a single number to ring before the caller is put through
seamlessly to the individual distributor helplines already in operation.
A spokesperson for Culture Secretary, Chris Smith, said the Minister had
“pushed for this and is very keen for it to happen.” The
current structure of Lottery funding, with 14 separate bodies giving out
money, is seen as unhelpful to the current pressure for joined-up
grant-making. In our 2000 survey of Lottery Monitor readers, ‘joining
up’ emerged as one of the Lottery’s biggest perceived problems. As
one local authority Lottery Officer put it: “The plethora of district
bodies, programmes and associated application processes are much too
complicated. We need to seriously move towards one overall distributor
and a single entry application process.” This
is, of course, easier said than done with the vast volume of grants
currently being not only assessed and awarded, but also monitored and
evaluated. We understand that DCMS is keeping a watching brief on the
situation to see whether the proposed single front door helps the
situation. All
Lottery boards bar one - the Millennium Commission - are rated this year
as average to excellent for their efficiency and for the clarity of the
information they give out. This is an improvement on last year’s
happiness ratings. Sports and Charities have once again scored the
highest approval rates, but this year only by a cat’s whisker. Awards
for All and NOF followed closely behind, then the HLF and arts boards
with the Millennium Commission trailing in last position. News
In Brief
Culture Secretary, Chris Smith, has announced his intentions to the New Opportunities Fund for its third round of programmes, which will be worth almost £1.5bn UK-wide. The NOF has announced a cash injection of £1m into two separate local London health projects.
The
National Lottery Charities Board is ditching its cumbersome name in
favour of the simpler "community fund." www.nlcb.org.uk
The
Opportunities Fund education programme in Northern Ireland is seeking
more applications. It has more than £7m to award for schemes that will
produce good quality, affordable childcare in Northern Ireland. www.nof.org.uk
Culture
Secretary Chris Smith and Education Secretary David Blunkett have
invited 64 local authorities to bid for improved arts and sports
facilities through the Space for Sport and the Arts scheme which offers
up to £130m.
The
current Lottery operator problems do not seem to be having an effect on
player confidence. Camelot has announced that the amount raised for good
causes in the half-year up to September rose by 4% to £659m, reversing
a two-year decline. The consortium, which can take up to one percent of
sales as profit, made post-tax profits of £18.2m, nearly five million
more than in the previous period. The
Social Inclusion Millennium Consortium has been set up to provide
funding for projects that will benefit the community in combating
aspects of social exclusion. The
Scottish Arts Council has announced increased funding to a number of
areas in order to implement the National Cultural Strategy. Director
Tessa Jackson said next year's financial budget would total £53.5m of
which £17.6m was Lottery funding. The
NLCB has reopened its International Awards Programme which funds
development projects to address the causes of poverty and inequality in
various parts of the world. www.nlcb.org.uk
The
Countryside Agency's Local Heritage Initiative has broken the £1m
barrier and helped 99 English communities care for their local heritage.
www.lhi.org.uk
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