STIRRER CAMPAIGN

GOVERNMENT “RAIDING CHARITY'S COLLECTION TIN”

27-02-2007

One of Birmingham's leading charity fund-raising organisations has accused the government of placing it on a par with bingo halls and casinos - and says plans to charge it a fee to cover the cost of running the Gambling Commission will be tantamount to “raiding the donation tin”.

The TLC Lottery generates cash for more than 125 good causes around the West Midlands including Acorns Childrens Hospice, St Mary's Hospice and Birmingham Focus On Blindness.

From September, it will be expected to pay a fee to help make the Gambling Commission self-funding - identical to the levy being raised on commercial organisations.

Lottery manager Colin Barret commented: “We understand the need for us to contribute to the self-funded Gambling Commission. All we ask is for a distinction to be made between commercial gambling enterprises and charity lotteries.”

For TLC, the new fee will be more than £2,000 which Barrett says is “tantamount to raiding the donation tin that supports our core beneficiaries - life-limited children, terminally ill adults and the visually impaired.”

Hereckons that the previous system of Ancillary Licenses should be re-introduced - which would reduce TLC's payments to £200 a year.

Theircampaign won instant backing from Selly Oak Labour MP Lynn Jones who said: “There should be a scale of charges according to the nature of the business and it's profitability.”