A ROW has broken out between the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery and the borough council, which owns it.

Senior councillor Dale Heenan hit out at the friends’ group’s committee after it emerged a council paper called a cabinet member decision notice had made the case for closing Apsley House, the home for the museum and gallery in Bath Road. 

Friends chairman Linda Kasmaty – who is a Labour parish councillor – and secretary Jane Milner-Barry – a Labour borough councillor for Old Town – publicised this online.

That angered Conservative cabinet member for culture and heritage Coun Heenan, who said he had had confidential discussions with the pair about the matter – but there was no decision imminent.

He said he had asked for a full report to cabinet which will be made by September and added: “It is appalling that they have found it so easy to breach trust and confidentiality and misled the public by claiming, minutes before the England football match kicked off on Saturday, that the council had made a decision to close the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery.

“This has done nothing but cause concern and anxiety among the public over the weekend. They can no longer be trusted.”

Those words were included in a release on Swindon Borough Council’s website.

Ms Kasmaty responded: “On June 29 I was invited to attend a meeting with council officers to ascertain the schedule for re-opening the Museum and Art Gallery after the Covid restrictions were lifted.

“In the meeting I was informed by officers that Apsley House was not to be reopened and that the artworks and artefacts would be placed in storage until such time that a suitable venue was available in the proposed new cultural quarter. I was further informed that Apsley House would be put up for sale in due course. I was upset at the meeting and said so. 

"I asked if I could be sent a written copy of the proposals. I was sent them next day, 30 June, in the form of a cabinet member decision note.”

Ms Kamaty said the discussions were not confidential as far as she was aware, adding: “I knew the closure plans were in the public domain and could be shared among the Friends who then wanted to know what we action we could take. I was not informed that the meeting or emailed proposal were in any way confidential.

“Yesterday I was extremely surprised and disappointed to see entirely unfounded allegations about myself posted on the official council website.

“The cabinet member in question is correct in stating that there is a breakdown in trust, and I would suggest at this juncture that all parties and stakeholders look at this process with fresh eyes, analyse the intentions and endeavour to create a stakeholder and cross-party working party to try to resolve this incredibly important issue.

She concluded: “The process needs to be reset if there are aspirations to restore trust and confidence, and the questions must be addressed in a full council meeting with all due diligence and scrutiny afforded.”

Coun Heenan said the document which is headed Cabinet Member Decision Notice was not complete and was an early draft which had been shown to the Friends group, as well as ward councillors, for their input.

He said: “It is clearly not a document that reached the point of seeking approval, and was shared early confidentially to seek comments.The document never went into the delegated authority governance process.”

Coun Heenan has now requested a full report to cabinet on the future of the building and the collections.