EAST Hampshire residents will be able to win a top prize of £20,000 if a council-run charity lottery goes ahead.

It is aimed at raising funds for local charities, and could start later this year if the Gambling Commission approves a proposed lottery licence application by East Hampshire District Council (EHDC).

In its first year, a similar lottery run by the council’s partner authority, Havant Borough Council, is said to have raised more than £32,500 for good causes, from April 2018 to February this year.

But while appreciative of the good causes that could be supported by such a venture at a time of such economic uncertainty, some of the larger local charities, who rely on their own lotteries to support vital services, have expressed concerns over the impact an EHDC lottery could have on their ability to survive.

And they are questioning the appropriate use of EHDC officer time and tax payers’ money to support and manage such a venture.

Alton Cardiac Rehab is part of a larger lottery run by a cardiac rehabilitation charity based in the north west, which raises around £14,000 a year for the charity.

Alton Rehab chief executive Sarah Quarterman believes "the introduction of another lottery locally - in addition to those run by the local hospices or the TRElottery - could affect the take-up of charity lotteries by local people".

Mrs Quarterman questions where the demand has arisen for the EHDC lottery, and how the Havant lottery has impacted local charities. And she queries if the numbers add up: "If in 10 months £32,500 has gone to good causes, representing 60 per cent of the ticket price, then only £10,800 can have been given out in prizes in total - so either the maximum prize was never £20,000 or the prize must have been significantly smaller in Havant."

As director of fundraising for the Treloar Trust, Jon Colville is charged with raising more than £2m a year to support the physically disabled students who attend Treloar School and College in Holybourne.

One of the Trust’s key fund raisers is the TRElottery and, while "great supporters of local people supporting local causes they care about" Mr Colville is concerned that "by its very nature a new EHDC lottery could incentivise people away from supporting the Treloar Trust."

Says Mr Colville: "Many local good causes have invested in setting up and managing their own "100" clubs and lotteries to help fund vital services. People who support us and others directly support the charitable cause that interests them personally, and we hugely value these relationships and the generosity of our supporters. We are grateful for every single person who supports us via the TRElottery."

On a personal note, however, Mr Colville is "not sure it is appropriate for a council to run a lottery; there will no doubt be internal EHDC management of the project, this will mean additional cost to the tax payer. As such it is clear less money will go to good causes than if people donated directly to them".

Both fundraisers ask who will choose where the district lottery money goes to and if it will replace councillor-funded grants and/or "end up filling holes in the council budget?".

With a set-up cost of £6,000, EHDC community engagement head Tracey Wood said the purpose of the local lottery will be "to provide grants and cash funding opportunities for local good causes, charities and voluntary organisations" which would "support the councils commitment to the welfare agenda".

The lottery will be run by Gatherwell, an external lottery management company licensed by the Gambling Commission to run lotteries on behalf of good causes.

Tickets would cost £1, of which 60p would go to charities, 20p toward the prizes (maximum pot £20,000), and 20p to Gatherwell.

EHDC Cabinet members meet on Thursday to decide if the proposed East Hampshire Community Lottery should be given the go ahead. If approved, EHDC will decide which local good causes, voluntary organisations, and charities, would best benefit from it.