Mieka Smiles

Local Matters

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SOMETIMES life as a local councillor can be a little bleak.

You can see exactly what needs doing — but trying to make it happen feels like walking through knee-deep sludge. But the other week I did allow myself a brief moment of joy.

Rather than feeling like the council is squeezing residents for every last penny, I had some news that felt like quite the opposite. A nurse in Middlesbrough won £25,000 — and it was thanks to our very own council lottery.

It's a simple idea. Councils sign up to a nationwide scheme, residents buy a £1 ticket and local authorities bolster their own income as well as raising thousands for good causes in their towns. A no-brainer, you'd think, given the financial pressures?

When I was in charge of culture and events, I had plenty of ideas but a budget of almost nothing to deliver them.

So I suggested the lottery to fund things people enjoy without saddling taxpayers with the bill. A win-win, surely?

Not according to Labour. At the time, Labour group leader Matt Storey said it was a "sad indictment" that councils were "resorting to delivering gambling" while warning against addiction.