BRADFORD Council is being asked to look at the potential benefits of setting up an online community lottery.

A motion, put forward by Councillor Debbie Davies (Con, Baildon), will go before Full Council next week asking the Chief Executive to look at how such a scheme could work in the Bradford district to help “raise funds for non-essential but much-valued community services”.

The initiative was pioneered by Aylesbury Vale District Council and began back in November 2015.

It works on principle of raising money in the community, for the community, empowering groups to generate vital funds and enabling players to support the causes they are about the most.

It was launched in response to central government cuts and has seen more than 160 causes joining up to raise much-needed funds.

Horse riding lessons for autistic children, sports equipment, school computers and a children’s library are just some of the projects income from the Vale Lottery has been spent on.

People can buy a ticket for £1 and 60 per cent of that is then ploughed back into the organisations signed up.

The remaining 40 per cent then goes back into the prize fund and pays for the running costs.

Cllr Davies said it can often be hard for smaller charities, local groups and volunteer organisations to raise funds and this could be a way to tackle that problem in the Bradford district.

She’s now asking Bradford Council if they would be prepared to look further into the idea, but said it is not intended to replace Council services.

Cllr Davies said it could be a way for people to offer financial support to local groups, even if they are not able to offer practical support.

She said: “If you support a local charity, or you want to support them, you can choose to be part of that lottery.

“It seems to me that smaller charities, local groups, volunteer organisations, all struggle to raise money.

“It’s very hard to raise funds.

“It just seemed a way of trying to help smaller charities in the district.”

She said the Aylesbury Vale scheme has been running for two-and-half years and has raised around £170,000 in that time.

The initiative has now been adopted by a number of other councils across the country including Torbay, Wycombe District Council and Portsmouth Council.

The motion will be put forward at the Full Council meeting on Tuesday, July 17, at 4pm.