Residents 'lose trust' in councillors over Lydiard Park plans

At a heated meeting this week residents told their councillors they have lost all trust in them.

And fellow councillor Steph Exell, (Lab, Mannington and Western), branded her colleagues as arrogant for not consulting the local community saying the whole process heralded the end of local government as we know it.

Angry residents said before the election this year when proposals were going through for the Link Centre they had specifically asked if anything at all was going to change in the running of Lydiard Park and were told ‘no.’

“It must have been a very quick change of heart, and you should have had the guts to come to us and admit what was going to happen,” said one woman at the meeting.

“The conference centre was told its contract would not be renewed in June, but

"Immediately before the election we were being told there were no plans.

“That does not instil trust in our local councillors.”

The outbursts came after plans were announced to accept expressions of interest in the "asset of community value" Lydiard Park.

The hunt for a partner to help plug a £450,000 subsidy in the running of the park began this month, with public consultation events planned over coming weeks.

Councillors told residents on Monday they had not been aware of the plans before the election when they had denied any change on the horizon and said the council was not very good at commercial ventures.

Coun Tim Swinyard, (Con, Lydiard and Freshbrook), said: “The current situation is that an independent marketing process is under way to help us preserve and improve Lydiard Park with a view to reducing the annual subsidy.

But Coun Exell said: “These are the assets of the people of Swindon, and we have learned from experience in the Link Centre that we do not have any say over what happens when we lose control.

“It is quite arrogant of councillors not to ask the people who own these assets what they want done before they make a decision.

“We have a spending review next month when we will be told how many more billions local government will lose, and this will get worse and worse.

"Even if we strip the council of everything it provides it still would not fill the funding gap. In a sense This is the end of local government as we know it.”

In 2005, lottery grants of £5.5m helped Swindon Borough Council carry out a number of improvements to Lydiard Pak.

“It has become an asset of community value thanks to the Lydiard Fields Action Group, and it has got the heritage value and the lottery funding,” said Coun Swinyard.

“If a partner wanted to change anything under that lottery funding they would have to pay back £5.5m.

"We have to set out these red lines now, and say this is what we want from Lydiard Park."

“I think a not-for-profit organisation would do very well there, because they have experts the borough simply does not have."

Two events are being held at the visitor centre for the public to give their views. They will take place on November 18, from 8.30am to 3pm, and November 22, from 9.30am to 3.30pm.

Alternatively, email lydiardfuture@swindon.gov.uk.

Lydiard Park and House