LOTTERY bosses were urged to think again about handing cash to Manchester United and well-paid Coronation Street stars.
Furious MPs challenged Culture Minister Tessa Jowell over the decision - revealed in the M.E.N. last week - to give é30,000 grants to United and Granada, as well as other companies, to improve staff fitness.
Ms Jowell rejected the criticisms and accused MPs of "leaping to judgment" to make cheap headlines. But today, in a Commons motion, three Tory MPs called on Sport England to reconsider the decision to give Lottery cash to wealthy United instead of "those in real need."
Tory MP Bob Spink said Lottery funds should be helping vulnerable people and charitable organisations, rather than the world's second-wealthiest soccer club.
'Obscene'
In a separate motion, Ribble Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans urged Ms Jowell to look at the rules about Lottery grants and said: "The awarding of é30,000 to one of the richest football teams in the world ranks as one of the most obscene awards that the Lottery has given to date."
Tory MP Hugo Swire agreed and told Ms Jowell that grants to wealthy football clubs and the cast of Coronation Street would further undermine the National Lottery.
But Ms Jowell said ministers were not party to the decision, which was taken by Lottery distributors and the regional board of Sport England, who want firms to boost the fitness of their workers.
"The judgment of the Lottery board," she said, "is that the money is worth risking to get those who work for Manchester United, or any of the other 40 companies in the north west who have been funded by the initiative, to become more active.
"Many of the staff come from precisely those deprived areas in Greater Manchester at which Lottery money should be directed."
WHAT do you think of the lottery payments? Have your say.
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The national lottery should never had been given to a money making concern? Bad move by a bad government .The lottery should have been given to virgin who said that it would give all profits back to charities and other groups . It makes me wonder why it was given to a money making concern over a company who said it would benefit more people?????Nepitism or favours i wonder????
Iam a United fan and I agree that the cash could be better allocated but don't forget some of the loony causes that lotto money has gone to in the past.Nobody sceeched loudly then!Asylum seeker's,Muslim community projects(by definition they do not gamble on the lottery--don't buy a ticket and still win) etc.etc.Lotto money rarely goes where the participants want it to go.The whole system needs a radical overhall.
The rich corporations can get the grants because they have the resources and wherewithall to make a compelling case in the format demanded by the Lottery paymasters. Deserving charities and voluntary organisations do not have this resource. The lottery paymasters do not distinguish between corporation or charity because the Government will not force them to. Perhaps its time for us all to apply for a lottery grant!
Why is he Lotteery Commission allowed to make such outrageous decisions when the Lottery is to benefit Charities, not wealthy lawyers, football clubs and TV companies. The benefits should go to Charities such as Francis House, DEBRA, etc. etc who are genuinely in need of funds to help the children and people in ther care.
Why are handing money over to rich company's that can well afford to provide their owen occupational health I.G gym and other health services, when their are other smaller companies that could benifit not to mention a monument to our forces involved inthe battle of britan and old soldiers that could have been funded to visit their fallen friends on forign battlefield it wouldbe for most the last chance to do so and here the lottery is funding fat cat companys.
We need a new company and a new minister to over see it.
i bet all those who have voted for no are the utd fans.. all they care about is money..
Well as a utd fan i think it outrageous that they can give money like that to a rich club like that and yet again us ice hockey fans and other ice sport fans have had to wait over 2 yrs for a temp ice rink to be built out of our own money with no help from a lottery grant and sport Uk
If people really feel annoyed about the idiots runnning this gravy train. stop buying tickets !!
There are plenty of other lotteries available, such as hospital ones.
i have bought my last lottery ticket
One thing no one has picked up on yet, staff at these two organisations have in the past campaigned at general and local elections against the BNP,what with the latest on goings in Government stranger things have happened.