Jun 28 2012 by Dave Goodban, Flintshire Chronicle
ALYN and Deeside AM Carl Sargeant has pledged to try and secure more National Lottery for Flintshire after a study revealed the lack of money given to Britain’s industrial areas.
A report entitled The Postcode Lottery by the Industrial Communities Alliance shows certain areas – including Flintshire – only receive about 60% of the national average funding per head.
This means that since the Lottery began in 1995 the cumulative loss of funding to Britain’s industrial communities has been about £3bn.
Mr Sargeant, based in Shotton, said: “In Flintshire between 1995 and 2011, the value of Lottery awards per head has been under £200.
“In stark contrast, large cities across the UK have received more than twice as much funding, with Manchester receiving more than £1,200 per head.”
He added: “Unfortunately, some of our most vulnerable communities are being forgotten as money has gone to art galleries, museums, opera houses and other prestige projects, mostly in big cities.”
Mr Sargeant wants constituents to write to him with their views, which he has vowed to pass on to culture minister Jeremy Hunt.
Send letters to Carl Sargeant AM, Deeside Enterprise Centre, Rowleys Drive, Shotton, Flintshire, CH5 1PP, or email carl.sargeant@wales.gov.uk.