Lottery funding league: "If this were football - Monmouthshire County would be relegated"

2.21.12pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 22nd Aug 2005

Research showing where lottery money has been allocated since the National Lottery was launched in 1995, reveals that Monmouthshire is 20 out of 22 counties in Wales. This has led Assembly Member Michael German to say that Monmouthshire really is bottom of the funding league.

Figures produced by Lottery Monitor magazine show that Cardiff residents have enjoyed the equivalent of £494 spent per head (£155.9 million), this is in direct contrast to people in Monmouthshire where the figure stands at £132, attracting a funding total of £11.4 million.

Local Welsh Liberal Democrat regional AM, Michael German, says that he is concerned by the wide margin of funding for different areas. "Monmouthshire is falling behind in the funding stakes. Neighbouring counties are performing better in attracting and securing lottery funding. The county is third from bottom - if this were football Monmouthshire County would be relegated!"

Mr. German points out that neighbouring Newport received £245 per head (£34.2 million), Torfaen £262 per head (23.8 million) and Blaenau Gwent £177 (12.2 million) whilst Monmouthshire's performance is pale in contrast to Powys where the county secured a massive £344 per head. "Monmouthshire does not attract European Union Objective 1 funding. Not only is the county unable to access this source of funding, the county is falling further behind on lottery funding too: not a good situation in which to be.

"I'm am sure that the National Lottery have distributed the funds evenly as it can. However, it is also down to where the applications come from. The Chepstow High Street regeneration project is a success story of how you can access different funding opportunities without always having to ask local taxpayers to fund the whole project. It is that sort of imagination that attracts funding. Monmouthshire needs to identify projects now and start developing the ideas that will attract these much needed funds."

Councillor Phil Hobson, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats on Monmouthshire County Council is currently investigating the potential for a Community Arts Centre in Chepstow.

"We are at the stage where a site and an opportunity has been identified. We are lobbying the council and interested parties to ensure that any development includes a Community Arts Centre. If we are successful, then it will be down to external funding to unlock the money needed to actually build and open any centre - Obviously the National Lottery will be the first call made."

Adding to the concerns raised by Mr. German that Monmouthshire is lagging behind in lottery funding projects. "The National Lottery Big Fund is a new source and they are aware, I am sure, of the large difference being awarded per head in different area of Wales. We currently have the details of the next round of lottery funding bids and work is taking place to ensure that any application will qualify."

Cllr. Hobson added, "The National Lottery do look at areas that are not claiming as much as other areas and then go there to encourage a better take up. I am certainly going to contact the right people in the National Lottery to ask them to come to Chepstow and see what we can do here.

"Naturally, I want a positive outcome. Monmouthshire's history of a poor allocation lottery funding means that we have to work a lot harder on identifying opportunities and developing ideas and presenting them in a way that wins the day. We're talking about millions of pounds of funding for projects that otherwise will not see the light of day."