THE future of Lydiard Park hangs in the balance this morning as the council has failed to provide details on how the historic site is to be funded.

The Conservative administration has stressed that the park and house are secure in their hands. But when asked how they were going to pay for it, the cabinet member responsible for regeneration, Coun Garry Perkins, said we would have to wait for a future cabinet report.

It comes a week after the shock news that the deal between Swindon Borough Council and the Lydiard Park Heritage Trust for the latter to take over the running of Lydiard House and Park collapsed in a bitter row over maintenance costs.

A survey carried out for the trust by a conservation architect revealed almost £5m of work needed to be done, while the council’s own survey had only highlighted around £850,000-worth of maintenance costs.

SBC’s lawyers informed members that to progress with the deal would have been unlawful as the council would be in breach of its Best Value Duty under the Local Government Act 1999.

When asked how the authority planned to fund something it previously admitted it could not, Coun Perkin said: “I will address the issue of how the council will pay for the continued upkeep of Lydiard House in a future report to cabinet as there are significant details that need to be worked out.”

He added: “The future of Lydiard Park and House is secure in the hands of the Conservatives and we will continue to work with the heritage groups and the local community to ensure that the park and house remain one of Swindon’s greatest publicly accessible assets.”

But the Labour Group hit back, accusing the council of orchestrating a “shambles”.

“Now Lydiard’s long term future is back in jeopardy,” said Neil Hopkins, Labour’s Lydiard and Freshbrook ward candidate.

“Two years ago, when the council proposed transferring Lydiard, Labour warned how complicated such a transfer would be and that it would favour private sector bidders who would have the initial capital investment to pump in to Lydiard. Those concerns were dismissed by the Conservative administration but they have turned out to be spot on.”

Mr Hopkins called on the administration to make a commitment to keeping the site under public control, but Coun Perkins dismissed the demands, labelling them “fake news in a desperate attempts to win votes”.

Mike Bowden, chairman of the Lydiard Park Heritage Trust, yesterday insisted that, as things stand, “Lydiard House and Park is in crisis”.

Calling the current situation “wholly avoidable”, he said: “At the start of this tender process, Coun Perkins publicly stated that the council had neither the money nor the skillset to look after this house and park.

“It is hardly surprising therefore that there is widespread concern in the town that a council that, from its own mouth, has said it doesn’t have the money or skill has decided that it has to retain managment and operational control. It is an unsatisfactory and worrying state of affairs.”