<div dir="ltr"><div><div>The Big Lottery Fund (BLF) receives 40% of all the good causes money generated through the National Lottery each year. This amounts to around £700m being distributed annually to tackle disadvantage and improve lives throughout the United Kingdom.</div><div><br></div><div>Ministers issue all lottery distributors with policy directions, setting out the priorities they must take into account when distributing this money.</div><div><br></div><div>Cabinet Office is <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/big-lottery-fund-draft-directions-england-isle-of-man-uk-wide">requesting views</a> on proposed new policy directions for BLF relation to its England and UK-wide funding programmes. Ministers from the Devolved Administrations separately issue the Fund with policy directions for its distribution of lottery money in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which are not covered by this consultation.</div><div><br></div><div>Cabinet Office has consulted the BLF and drafted revised policy directions with the view to reflect the Fund’s commitments and strategic priorities as outlined in its strategic framework, in combination with the government’s commitments and priorities for creating a bigger, stronger society.</div><div><br></div><div>After all the responses have been considered Cabinet Office will consult the Fund again on how best to amend the directions, before issuing a final version to the Fund in Autumn 2016.</div></div><div><br></div><div>The Community Media Association has responded to this consultation and a template response is available for download from the link below to support the CMA's comments on the Fund. The policy directions are over-arching in scope and more of a vision statement than a mission statement. We have therefore submitted suggestions for wording that, it is hoped, would align the broad strategic objectives of the BLF with the fundamental aims of the community media sector.</div><div><br></div><div>If you or your organisation would like to download and submit a copy of the response to the Cabinet consultation then it is available form this link below which should be emailed to <a href="mailto:blfpolicydirectionsconsultation@cabinetoffice.gov.uk">blfpolicydirectionsconsultation@cabinetoffice.gov.uk</a> before <b>12 midnight on Friday 12th August</b>:</div><div><br></div><a href="http://bit.ly/2b1NbS3">http://bit.ly/2b1NbS3</a><br><div><br></div><div>\\</div><div><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Community Media Association</div><div>-- <br><a href="http://www.commedia.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.commedia.org.uk/</a><br><a href="http://twitter.com/community_media" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/community_media</a><br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation</a><br><br>Canstream Internet Radio & Video<br><a href="http://www.canstream.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.canstream.co.uk/</a><br><a href="https://twitter.com/canstream" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/canstream</a></div><div><br></div><div><b style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-size:12.8px"><font size="4" color="#0000ff">Book your tickets now for the Community Media Conference 2016: <a href="http://bit.ly/2016CMAConf" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/2016CMAConf</a></font></b><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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