Lottery Funding and the Armed Forces Memorial

[Beatriz Fontana]

The Armed Forces Memorial at the National Arboretum has been shortlisted for the Best Heritage Project in this year's National Lottery fund, which means if they win, there's a big pot of cash on its way.

The voting is open until 4th July here (http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards) and follow the directions for the Best Heritage Project vote.

I don't usually pass around emails, but this one has been floating around work today and everyone's chipped in.

[Dan D'air]

LOTTERY FUNDING!!!! The government should have fallen over themselves to provide a memorial, not rely on the proceeds of a chavtax FFS. It's disgusting.

[Beatriz Fontana]

Yep, thoroughly agree Dan, but it's there and up for grabs so worth a shot.

A good start for the government would be to mark Veteran's Day next week properly...

[S'land]

Sorry BF, but are you saying that the national Memorial was NOT funded by the government? I knew that we had finally got a memorial and assumed that it was paid for out of taxes.

[Beatriz Fontana]

It's not entirely clear, S'land. I've checked the website (http://www.forcesmemorial.org.uk/) for the memorial and it seems that fundraising and donations are what keeps the memorial in good nick, not government grants.

I do believe that the first English lottery was established by Queen Elizabeth in order to raise money for the Navy... so could be worse, we could be forking out for a new JSF!!

[airsound]

I'm with you Bea - but I've tried voting and the website seems totally useless. I've emailed them to try and get something sorted......

airsound

[minigundiplomat]

Thought we had used up all the lottery cash building a big white tent nobody asked for, an noone visited, and was under the impression that any future cash would go on basketballs and diving boards for London 2012.
If they have found some to spare for such a worthy cause, let's not quibble over semantics, eh?

Just for once?

[Topsy Turvey]

Ministerial Statement on 5 June. My highlighting

Armed Forces Memorial

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Derek Twigg):

The armed forces memorial, dedicated to some 16,000 members of the United Kingdom armed forces killed on duty or as a result of terrorist action since the end of the second world war, was constructed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and dedicated by Her Majesty the Queen on 12 October 2007. The concept for the memorial was first announced in the House of Commons by the then Secretary of State for Defence, on 10 November 2000, Official Report, column 414W.

In May 2006, following parliamentary approval (via the departmental contingent liability minute dated 22 May 2006), the Ministry of Defence provided an indemnity of £3.3 million to the trust which provided for money to be loaned to underwrite the costs of the project that were not then covered by donations. This underwriting allowed the trustees to proceed with contractual arrangements to meet successfully the unveiling deadline of October 2007.

The costs of the project are now expected to be in the region of £7.3 million and the trustees of the armed forces memorial trust have raised £6.7 million. This sum includes £1.5 million met from the proceeds of the sale of Trafalgar coins which the then Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 13 February 2006. The trust also secured a Millennium Commission grant of £2.417million. The remainder was raised from public subscription.

While there has been no call on the underwriting, the armed forces memorial trustees have recently advised the Ministry of Defence that there is no realistic prospect of significant further public contributions. Consequently, the trustees have sought payment, forecast at some £500,000 in total, to meet outstanding construction costs owed to contractors and expected construction costs. The Ministry of Defence now intends to meet these costs and the cost of inscription of names of those who died since 2007, as an unrecoverable charge to defence funds. These costs will be treated as special payments and recorded in the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts. This expenditure will be authorised on the sole authority of the Appropriation Act. Provision for payments will be sought through the normal Supply procedures.

The Ministry of Defence also intends to provide an annual grant-in-aid to the armed forces memorial trustees to cover maintenance of the memorial and to fund the inscription of names of those who have died since the original inscriptions were made and those who die on duty or as a result of terrorist action in future. Annual maintenance costs and engraving is expected to cost some £120,000 to £150,000 per annum. Subject to negotiation with the trustees, the Ministry of Defence is therefore proposing to make a grant of some £120,000 to £150,000 per year to be reviewed by April 2010 and subject to uprating in the interim.

The payment of these costs is a departure from the established policy that the MOD does not fund military memorials from public funds, and a change from the statement made by the then Secretary of State for Defence on 10 November 2000, Official Report, column 414W. The Ministry of Defence considers that the unique circumstances warrant an exceptional departure from established policy to provide an element of funding for the armed forces memorial.

So it seems for once the Government are at least partially funding.