The Aberdeen Evening Express is demanding answers from the people who distribute National Lottery cash after an investigation revealed “a scandalous situation” in part of the newspaper’s circulation area.

The paper launched its own investigation after new figures revealed that the Aberdeen South constituency had spent £30m on tickets in the past five years and had received only £1.9m back in grants.

Last year, the area received £38,000 from the agencies that dish out the cash. This compares with a well-off area of Glasgow that spent £50m on tickets and received £119m back.

Local government reporter Graham Lawther showed how the system was shrouded in confusion, with seven bodies handing out grants in Scotland.

His investigation revealed NO apathy in the area, NO shortage of grant bids, NO poor-quality applications and every need for help and support.

Graham said: “We’re very much a campaigning paper that stands up for our readers when this sort of thing happens.

“We became aware of this funding difference over time and through comments from community councils, the city council and individual groups that the area didn’t seem to be getting its fair share.

“Then there was a question asked in the Scottish Parliament last week that asked for grants to be totalled for each constituency and Aberdeen South stuck out like a sore thumb.

“I went to the various Internet sites and contacted all the funding bodies. All the individual arms have different offices and different press officers, so it was quite a task asking the same questions to each one but we’re interested in our people and it had to be done.”

There are other problems – like rules which allow English sports groups to bid for a maximum 90 percent of their funding but which restrict Scottish bids to 50 percent of the cash they need.

Editor Donald Martin wrote in the paper’s leader column: “Our detailed investigation into the divvie-up of National Lottery cash has revealed a scandalous situation in Aberdeen South.

“Lottery ticket buyers locally have ploughed in their weekly stake money, not only hoping for a personal bonanza, but confident a substantial amount would come back to help good causes in our community.

“Everyone in the area deserves a full explanation from the distributing agencies on why Aberdeen South is the Cinderella of this lucrative money game.”

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