An ‘Ottery Lottery’ could be set up in the town, giving residents a chance to win thousands of pounds while also raising repair funds for the town’s roads.
There would be a maximum prize of £20,000 and it would generate extra money to fix things for which the authorities do not have a budget, such as marking out new parking bays, renewing signage and repairing broken road surfaces.
The idea was revealed at a meeting on Monday, March 25, by the Ottery St Mary Town Centre Traffic Working Group and would serve as a way of ensuring local money was used on projects that benefited Ottery.
Dave Moss, a member of the working group, said: “The suggestion of an ‘Ottery Lottery’ is to try and address the big issues. Everyone recognises that potholes are generating, that road markings are fading, the zebra crossing might have a white bar at the beginning or end but not in the middle, but county council budgets are so stretched.
“Most of these issues are less than £5,000. It’s not that they don’t want to repair these things, it’s they don’t have the budget.”
To establish the lottery, the council must apply to East Devon District Council (EDDC) - the local licensing authority. If successful the licence can be awarded for up to five years.
Dave said: “It’s a win-win because people can win quite a handsome sum of money and it would build a pool of cash that the town could benefit from, fixing all these little things that need doing.”
The place in which the tickets would be sold would be a matter for the incoming town council, following the elections on May 2.
The working group was established by the Ottery St Mary Regeneration Group in spring 2018 with the brief of making recommendations to address the traffic, safety and parking issues identified within the neighbourhood plan.
The traffic report stemmed from a series of surveys with residents, businesses, schools and special consultees such as the emergency services.
Approximately 2,500 leaflets were distributed through letter boxes in the town.
At the meeting, the group put forward recommendations to the town council for a commissioned traffic survey that would focus on both on-street and off-street parking, road junctions and traffic on roads through the town centre.
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