THE Conservative cabinet member for Lydiard has vowed to resign if the house and park is ever sold or leased to the private sector.

Coun Keith Williams, who only last week took over responsibility for Lydiard from Coun Garry Perkins, made the bold move at a public meeting at Lydiard Park Academy earlier today.

The meeting, organised by Neil Hopkins, Labour’s ward candidate for Lydiard in May’s elections, was intended to bring a degree of clarity to the contentious issue of who is to run Lydiard House and Park since the breakdown of a deal, back in February, between Swindon Borough Council and the Lydiard Park Heritage Trust.

The panel was made up of David Barnard, of the Love Lydiard Trust, the group which lost to the Lydiard Park Heritage Trust in the bidding process; Gina Akers, great granddaughter of Francis Akers; Neil Hopkins and Councillor Jane Miler-Barry, Labour’s spokesperson for heritage issues.

The main issue on everybody’s mind was ensuring the park remains under public ownership. This is something that members of the current administration have, since February, repeatedly promised.

But, due to the council previously admitting that it had neither the expertise nor the money to run Lydiard effectively, Labour, and others, remain unconvinced.

Addressing the Mother’s Day audience of approximately 100 people, Coun Milner-Barry said: “I don’t think we have had much clarity yet.”

She accused Coun Williams of “having a history” of selling off public assets to the private sector and used the council’s handling of projects such as the Health Hydro, the Locarno and the Mechanics Institute as examples of poor heritage asset management.

Neil Hopkins also called into question the way in which the administration has handled Lydiard Park over the past decade.

“It’s clear the council have not run the asset in a way that has properly contributed to its upkeep,” he said. “But it’s important that we find a long term sustainable future for Lydiard.”

Coun Williams had not originally planned to speak, but reluctantly decided to answer some of the points that had been raised.

Stressing that he had only been responsible for Lydiard for a week, he said: “I am happy to say it now that I would rather resign than see it be handed over to the private sector.” He made it crystal clear that he would go if Lydiard is sold.

The Lydiard Park Heritage Trust, who have been highly critical of the way in which the council have handled the affair since February, declined the invitation to sit on the panel.

A statement from the trust reads: “LPHT has no political affiliation and therefore does not formally participate in any party political events.”