CULTURE vultures in Swindon will have to wait until after the local election to find out the result of the bid for funding for the proposed new museum and art gallery.

The decision on whether or not to grant the £12m sum was made today, but the result will not be announced until after the election on May 3.

Councillor Jane Milner-Barry, Labour’s spokesperson for regeneration and culture, described the delay as “disappointing” but reiterated the party’s commitment to the project.

Back in November, a bid was submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund asking for a £12m contribution towards the £22m project.

The museum trust are hoping that £12m lottery funding will secure a further £5m in funds from the council, £5m from private funders and £1m from the Local Enterprise Partnership.

Speaking to the Adver today, Coun Milner-Barry said: “It is disappointing we have to wait to a little longer for the announcement of the museum and art gallery.

“Labour is 100 per cent behind the bid and really hope it succeeds.”

David Renard, the Conservative leader of the council, said he “understood” why the HLF had decided to delay making the result public.

He added: “We hope that Swindon is successful with the bid as this project can do so much for our town.”

The HLF confirmed that waiting until after an election to announce the result of a project such as this was “standard practice”.