Earlier this week, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) announced which gambling-related harm research, education and treatment (RET) organisations would receive funding from the statutory levy.
Sitting under the umbrella of the Department of Health and Social Care, OHID will allocate £25,441,281 to 33 different voluntary, community and social enterprise sector groups.
On top of that, OHID will distribute an additional £12m to some upper-tier local councils.
The transition away from the voluntary donation system, previously managed by GambleAware, to the statutory levy overseen by OHID has left several RET organisations facing closure, with also GambleAware closing its doors at the end of March.
In an attempt to help at-risk organisations, the DCMS announced last month the launch of a last-minute transition fund.
Here, EGR has collated the thoughts of leading experts on the release of the confirmed levy funding recipients and how OHID handled the application and funding allocation process.
Duncan Garvie, BetBlocker founder and CEO
“The outcome of OHID’s levy awards was always going to be a contentious and polarising issue. I can only speak from the perspective of BetBlocker, that were successful in our application for funding. Our experience with the application process was at times frustrating, but ultimately, we walked away feeling that OHID oversaw the process without fear or favour.
“Our impression was that the OHID team were willing to listen to our concerns and adjust their policies where there were reasoned grounds to do so, but that they held firm to the core principles they wanted to establish with this new system.
“That means that while we managed to find an approach to delivering support that met OHID’s requirements, we will have to make significant changes to the structure and operation of BetBlocker. And for BetBlocker, that seemed an appropriate outcome.
“I completely understand many other organisations will feel very differently about the OHID application process and, on a personal level, it’s been painful to watch so many peers whose contribution to the sector I really value getting passed over for funding.
“I really sympathise with those organisations, and most importantly their teams, and understand why their experience will strongly contract with ours.”
Dan Waugh, partner at Regulus Partners
“The OHID has allocated more than £25m but it is unclear what it all adds up to. No strategic plan has been published that would help us make sense of why some organisations have been funded and not others – and what the sum of the parts adds up to. This was also true under the old voluntary system, but one of the advantages of the levy should be a greater sense of coherence.
“The levy was justified on the basis it would remove perceived conflicts of interest and ensure greater stability and certainty of funding. So far, it has achieved the polar opposite. The new system has prompted intense lobbying – much of it deeply unpleasant (and from those who profess to care about mental health).
“At the same time, it has resulted in a destabilisation of organisations operating in the space, involving a large number of redundancies and the loss of expertise. It is not simply the case that OHID has diverted funds away from harm-prevention organisations – but it has prevented them from accessing other sources of funding in order to preserve OHID’s notion of purity.
“We should reflect on the fact the government has enacted a policy in the knowledge it would lead to the defunding of charities.”
Robert Mabbett, Better Change engagement director
“I am encouraged by the inclusion of some established organisations in OHID’s levy awards that means they can now continue to provide the valuable prevention work they have provided in previous years.
“It was important to have a balance between established and new providers, and I genuinely hope they can work together to make a positive impact. The fact this was left to the absolute last minute, with organisations uncertain for their future, was unnecessary, as was the well-publicised prejudice towards organisations that received voluntary funding previously.
“I hope a line can be drawn under this now as those in need of the services should be prioritised over politics.”
Victoria Corbishley, GamCare CEO
“This provisional award, once confirmed, would help us to reduce the gap between harm and help for thousands of people across England. Whether someone is struggling themselves or trying to support a loved one, they deserve timely, compassionate, specialist support.
“Around one in seven calls we receive to GamCare’s National Gambling Helpline come from people affected by someone else’s gambling, and we know there is vital work to be done to reach and support more in that situation. This funding would help us to do that, and to build the evidence and insight that will strengthen the sector’s response for years to come.”
The post Industry reaction to OHID’s statutory levy process and recipient list first appeared on EGR Intel.
Experts tell EGR they welcome clarity over allocation of resources, but admit the procedure could have been handled better
The post Industry reaction to OHID’s statutory levy process and recipient list first appeared on EGR Intel.