No result yet on Tiree’s project in People’s Millions

We don’t know yet how Tiree has done with its Ringside Theatre project. But we’re looking out for results, long promised for ‘later’.

It’s now after 10.00am on the morning after. Phone votes are electronically counted as they come in. TV shows announce phone voting results in short order. This is not good enough.

It has to be said that while the idea of the project has a lot to commend it, the public-facing management of it leaves a lot to be desired.

• The website is tired and out of date looking.
• Its information is organised to fit bureaucratic structures rather than to meet site users’ needs – so you need several clicks and a bit of guesswork to get to what you’re loking for.
• The site never carried any detailed information – that we could find, anyway – on exactly when the films of the community cases would be shown on STV.
• It didn’t say when and where the results would be made known.

Big Lottery needs to remember that it’s public money it’s spending and disbursing. It exists as a public interest operation and is a form of public service. The public expect – and have a right to expect – something much sharper than this lackadaisical and patronising effort – not even ‘E for effort’.

And, as a matter of curiosity – Big Lottery says it makes no profit from the phone vote phone calls. So who does?

And why should it not make a profit and add that to the purse for projects? We need something to offset the hit on funding for Scottish projects of the Olympic Games.