Lottery Smash And Grab Shatters Olympic Dream

Speaking in the House of Commons debate today on the diversion of Lottery funding for the arts and heritage to the London 2012 Olympic Games, Liberal Democrat Culture Spokesman Paul Holmes MP will say:

"The news that the UK would host the 2012 Olympics was enthusiastically welcomed - almost without exception.

That Olympic Dream is however being at best tarnished and at worst shattered by the bungled initial costing of the Games, the delays in getting the building programme underway, the £400,000 thrown away on the supposed design of the controversial logo and above all by the 'Olympic Smash and Grab Raid' of £2.2 billion of Lottery Funds.

How can there be a Cultural Olympiad from 2008 - 2012 if such huge sums of money are being diverted from grass roots activity?

Especially when Arts and -above all Heritage - groups have already had to turn to Lottery funding to make up for shortfalls in mainstream funding, and the Arts Council, English Heritage and the MLA have been told to plan for further 5-7% cuts in the next spending round.

This is counter productive madness -just as taking £340 million of Lottery money from grassroots sport can only undermine nationwide enthusiasm for the Olympics.

The Government must commit to:

No further plundering of the Lottery when costs rise again -as everyone but Ministers expects them to.

No cuts to Arts and Heritage funding in the CSR when it is finally announced this Autumn."