# One year after the Olympics ended, still no sign of the £425 million for charities

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/08/14/one-year-after-olympics-ended-still-no-sign-of-pound425m-charities/
- Published: 2013-08-14T08:30:02+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

One year on from the closing ceremony of the London Olympics, the Directory of Social
Change has criticised the Government for failing to return the £425 million of Lottery
good causes money that was taken to build the Olympic Park.

In a video message to the Prime Minister, DSC Chief Executive Debra Allcock Tyler
says that the Government has ignored the pleas of over 3,000 charities who have 
added their support to the [Big Lottery Refund Campaign](http://www.biglotteryrefund.org.uk).

The money was diverted from charitable good causes in 2007 to support the building
of Olympics infrastructure. Following criticism from MPs and charities at the time,
an agreement was reached between the Government and the Mayor of London to refund
the Lottery via Olympics assets sales.

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However,many valuable assets such as the Olympic Stadium are being leased, not sold.

The recent announcement that the £528 million underspend in the Olympics budget 
will not be used to refund the Lottery’s contribution, but will instead be handed
to the Chancellor, has only exacerbated campaigners' anger.

In the video Allcock Tyler points out clearly to the Prime Minister: "Lottery money
is not tax revenue. It exists to support charitable causes, not to fund large scale
public infrastructure projects or to plug the hole in the deficit.

"We cannot wait another ten or twenty years for politicians to right this wrong.
Well before then, thousands of charities will have had to close their doors. Their
beneficiaries will be beyond help. You and your colleagues will be dead or long 
since retired. And your legacy will be that you did not give back charities the 
money that was taken from them."