Villages among worst off for lottery handouts, league tables confirm

Councillors say their ward is missing out on vital funding after statistics shows it to be bottom of the league table in Yorkshire, and one of the worst in the country, for lottery handouts.
Coun James Lewis.Coun James Lewis.
Coun James Lewis.

Kippax and Methley’s representatives, James Lewis, Mary Harland and Mirelle Midgley have spoken out after the tables show the Elmet and Rothwell constituency is ranked 640th out of the 650 in the country when it comes to receiving grants from the Big Lottery community fund.

While lottery players hoping to land the multi-million weekly jackpot prizes, large chunks of the revenue raised are diverted to the community fund where groups can submit applications for worthwhile projects, such as refurbishing village halls or creating play areas for youngsters.

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But there is growing concerns that poorer areas are funding projects wealthier towns and cities.

Coun Lewis (pictured) said: “It’s only fair that people who are buying lottery tickets should see the benefits in their local communities.

“It’s shocking that we are missing out so badly and I welcome the call for the next lottery operator to be far more open about where ticket sales are and then link this with funding.

“We will be contacting the Big Lottery community fund and invite them to our ward to meet our local organisations and help them bid for grants.”

Elmet and Rothwell has received just £1,158,282 in grant funding from 2013 to 2018, slipping to their lowest ever position of 640th last year.