THE councillor behind plans for a community lottery which was never adopted says he is disappointed with the decision.

Councillor Andy Boddington, for Ludlow, says he has been left disappointed after Shropshire Council decided not to take on the idea.

Coun Boddington said it would help raise funds for worthy causes in the area, but Shropshire Council said it was worried about promoting problem gambling and doubted its potential success.

He said: "Shropshire Council has rejected the idea of a community lottery for our county.

"The idea, which I proposed in December 2017, was to create a county-wide lottery framework to allow small organisations such as village halls to sell lottery tickets.

"Although the council's deputy leader claimed then that the council was already looking at a scheme, it is only now that we have the council's view a lottery is not on.

"I don't buy its reasons for rejection – that it will divert money from other causes and that it will encourage gambling.

"The real reason is that it will not generate an income stream for the council and the council is not going to help communities unless it can make a profit."

Coun Boddington said the council had already gambled money, so shouldn't be worried about Shropshire residents doing the same.

"The council also says it is concerned about its position in promoting gambling," he added.

"That is an extraordinarily high moral stance for a council that has gambled more than £50 million on shopping centres and now allows its tenants sell Lotto tickets and booze.

"It's a surprising high moral stance from the Conservatives, the party that in 1994 gave us the National Lottery, which has since been used to plug gaps in public funding."