Alex Salmond launches lottery funding bid for Glasgow Games legacy

Alex Salmond and Nichola Sturgeon

Print article
Post to Facebook

The Scottish Government will bid for £150 million of National Lottery funding to create a lasting legacy from Glasgow's 2014 Commonwealth Games, First Minister Alex Salmond has announced.

Mr Salmond acknowledged the direct relationship between this figure and the £150 million which is being channelled away from Scottish causes and into the 2012 London Olympics.

He said: “It is entirely reasonable to call for an equivalent sum to be returned to Scotland.”

The London Olympics has already received over £2 billion in lottery funding, towards setting up an infrastructure for the games as well as construction of facilities. In contrast, the equivalent costs for Glasgow's Commonwealth games have already been underwritten by the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council.

The lottery funds that the Scottish Government is bidding for will be used to ensure that the games provide a lasting legacy for the whole country.

The last commonwealth games, which were held in Manchester in 2002, received £112 million in funding from the National Lottery, which helped spur a complete regeneration of east Manchester and provision of a number of sporting facilities.

Mr Salmond’s announcement came on the same day as the launch of a 58-page consultation paper, which suggested the means by which “Meaningful, lasting benefits for Scotland” might be achieved.

Steven Purcell, head of the Glasgow City Council, said of the games: “We have been presented with the best chance in a generation, and possibly a lifetime, to improve the lives and raise the aspirations of every Glaswegian. This consultation process will allow us to ensure that all of Glasgow's citizens have the opportunity to reap the benefit.”

Amongst suggestions in the consultation paper are proposals to contract only healthy food suppliers to service the games, keeping cafes as well as other suppliers of non-alcoholic drinks open later to achieve a safer as well as healthier atmosphere at the games.

There are also plans to offset all carbon emissions generated by the games to “assist developing countries threatened by climate change.”

Mr Salmond pointed out that the objective of the paper is to “listen and talk to Scotland's people and organisations to establish what they want the lasting effects of the Games to be.”

The paper urges the involvement and consultation of all areas of Scottish society including minority groups such as asylum seekers, the disabled and gay and transgender groups.

Comment on this article

	You need to have an account to post comments.
	Enter your login details below to post, or sign up for an account
User name:
Password:
Comment: