SOUTH West Surrey could benefit from an extra quarter of a million pounds in Lottery funding every year, under new proposals launched by Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt . The Haslemere MP wants to restore the National Lottery's independence and increase money for the good causes of sport, the arts, heritage and the local community. He says the Government has diverted lottery money away from these causes, including pouring £544 million of lottery funds into the Millennium Dome. Under the plans launched by David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt last Thursday: l A National Lottery Independence Bill would free the lottery from ministerial inference, return it to good causes and make it accountable to Parliament rather than the Government. l This would also "end the waste of lottery funds going to dubious projects which undermine public confidence". All lottery distributors would be required to take into account the reputation of the lottery as a whole when deciding grants. l National Lottery distributors' administration costs would be capped, and the savings ploughed back into good causes. l The way lottery tickets are taxed would be changed, moving away from a per-ticket tax to a gross profits tax on the lottery operators. This would allow the operator more freedom to increase sales and therefore returns to good causes. Mr Hunt said: "This package of measures could see an extra £182 million per year for grassroots sports, arts projects and the voluntary sector – equivalent to £280,000 per parliamentary constituency, every year. "In South West Surrey this is enough money to pay for four grass pitches, two flood-lit outside tennis courts, or save an arts organisation which has experienced funding cuts by the Arts Council. "My predecessor Virginia Bottomley always used to say we have more voluntary and charitable organisations in South West Surrey than anywhere else in the country. We need to do everything we can to support and harness the enthusiasm and energy of people who put their time into voluntary activities. "These reforms, which could mean an additional £182m going back into good causes nationally, would help the lottery have an even greater impact in our area." Since its establishment by the last Conservative Government, the lottery has raised over £20bn for good causes that would not otherwise have received funding.
