A formal bid to the DCMS for the return of £150m in Lottery funds has been unanimously endorsed by MSPs. The Scottish Government has submitted the bid to retrieve the cash diverted from Scottish good causes to finance the 2012 London Olympics. This comes in the wake of warnings from the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations that charities and voluntary groups in Scotland may be facing a “devastating” 70% reduction in Lottery funding. Communities Minister, Stewart Maxwell, sent the bid to Andy Burnham, Secretary of State at the DCMS, pressing for the return of the money “as a matter of natural justice because we believe it is fundamentally unfair that Scottish good causes should suffer to pay for London 2012”. The money would be used to build a legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland, supporting arts groups sports clubs, health promotion centres and day care as well as investing in “decent sports facilities”. A DCMS spokesperson told AP that ministers are considering the bid, but have not yet responded to it.
