Frosty reception to new Powys Lotto

As Welshpool householders discovered they would be paying a whopping £160 a year extra in council tax, Powys County Council was celebrating the announcement of its new lottery.

Householders were delivered their bad news by post yesterday, and it made grim reading with an average Welshpool Band D property having to pay an eye-watering £1,729.24 for the next financial year.

That is up from £1,570 last year, but it means we are paying an extra £255 per year (or around 18%) compared to 2017 which was £1,474.

And while PCC may have thought yesterday’s announcement to launch a new online lottery to support local good causes may lift the gloom, it has faced an early backlash.

PCC will be the first local authority in Wales launch its own online community lottery to benefit good causes. Tickets will cost £1 with 60p going towards local good causes, compared to just 28p in the pound for the National Lottery. 

The draw will be weekly with a jackpot of £25,000 for a matching sequence of six numbers, other prizes being £2,000, £250, £25 or three free tickets.

But their online announcement was met by criticism with several people asking if it was a “joke” or a “wind-up”. Others are skeptical that it is another way for the council to raise funds for itself.

Nevertheless, PCC believes local people will back the lottery.

Councillor Rosemarie Harris, Leader of Powys County Council said: “With our budgets under increasing pressure from central government cuts, and local good causes also needing a boost, the Powys Lotto provides a great opportunity to help local good causes to raise additional money. We are committed to continuing our support to local community groups but this will be a way of spreading the benefit to many more groups.”

There are two parts to the Powys Lotto. Powys good causes will be able to set up their own lottery page, and will receive 50p in every pound spent by players using this method. A further 10p in every pound will go into a general Powys Lotto good causes fund, with the remainder being put towards prizes, operating costs and VAT.

Players who do not wish to support a specific cause can still take part in the Powys Lotto, with 60p of their ticket price going into the general Powys Lotto good causes fund, which will be distributed by the council.

It will be launched at 6pm on April 25, at the Strand Hall, Builth Wells when all organisations operating in Powys and benefiting communities in Powys are invited.

To attend the launch please register at http://bit.ly/powyslotto or email greg.thomas2@powys.gov.uk. 

Regular updates on the progress of Powys Lotto will be posted on the Powys County Council website, Facebook, and Twitter.