Harrogate council move to clarify Local Lotto funding

Responding to public questions about the funding of the Local Lotto at a meeting of the audit and governance committee, chair Councillor Victoria Oldham said "there is no secret” about the initiative's funding.

“The start up cost are and always have been publicly available and they were set out in the cabinet report in October 2017,” she said.

Coun Oldham outlined that the start-up costs of the lotto came to £3,247 - constituting £3000 going towards a lottery management company called Gatherwell, £147 on a Gambling Commission licence, and £100 on a promotional banner.

She added that there was an additional £2,442 worth of internal legal work done by council officers.

“No staff time is additional to those costs of employing those officers,” she said.

“Officers working on the Local Lotto would be paid in any event.”

She said ongoing costs arising would include paying annual licence fees.

Harrogate's Local Lotto was launched in July 2018, in an effort to raise funds for charities around the district.

Of every £1 spent on the lotto, 60p goes to charities, 20p goes toward prize money, 17p is administrative costs and 3p goes towards VAT.

Lachlan Leeming, Local Democracy Reporter