Disadvantaged communities in 57 areas of England and Scotland will today benefit from fair share - a new lottery scheme. In all, nearly £169 million will be given across the UK to enable areas to catch up with their fair share of lottery funding.

The joint New Opportunities Fund and Community Fund scheme is the first-ever from the lottery distributors to ring-fence funding for deprived areas.

Forum Response: New Opportunities Fund

Baroness Jill Pitkeathley, chair of the New Opportunities Fund, told ePolitix.com: "This new scheme fits in strongly with the New Opportunities Fund's agenda of social inclusion and commitment to targeting social disadvantage across the areas of health, education and environment.

"We are looking forward to working with the Community Fund to channel money into areas which have missed out on previous lottery funding."

Forum Response: Community Fund

Diana Brittan, chair of the Community Fund, told ePolitix.com: "Fair share presents a new challenge to lottery distributors - and a new opportunity. We can try different ways of working to find the most effective methods of getting lottery funds into those areas which have so far not benefited. What we learn in these areas we may be able to apply elsewhere for the benefit of other under-represented communities."