A PETITION has been set up calling on Swindon Borough Council to consult the town’s heritage groups before proceeding with plans to find a new home for a collection of precious historical objects.

Last week, a row erupted following the council’s decision to “dispose” of 130 items from the Coate Agricultural Museum Store.

The pieces, considered a vital part of Swindon’s heritage, were damaged by a fire in December 2016 and have since been kept in storage at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of £40,000.

Councillor Garry Perkins, the cabinet member responsible for regeneration, earlier this month signed off on the decision to “dispose” of the items – that is, to find a new home for them potentially outside of Swindon.

His reasoning was that the council has neither the money nor the space to store the large items on a long-term basis, and there aren’t many museums in Swindon which can accommodate the collection.

But a petition has now been set up urging Coun Perkins to consult with the town’s heritage groups before parting with the collection.

The petition has been started by Sally Hawson, who moderates the Save Swindon’s Heritage Facebook group.

Opposition councillors also questioned the manner in which the artefacts had been handled.

Coun Jane Milner-Barry, Labour’s shadow lead for heritage, said: “It is hard to understand how this collection was allowed to fall into such a dreadful state.”

“The decision to dispose of it has been rushed through. I requested that the decision be delayed so that it could be discussed by Swindon’s Heritage Board but this was denied.”

She added: “I believe that the less damaged items could have been retained in council ownership and offered on loan to interested groups interested in displaying them.”

But Coun Perkins maintained that, because a two-month offering period is still in place, no concrete decisions have yet been made regarding the future of the historical objects.

A council spokesman said: “All of the artefacts recovered from the agricultural museum that are relevant to Swindon have been placed in other council owned museums or put into storage.

“The remaining artefacts can only be taken on by a registered museum, including those in Swindon, and the council would be happy for the those museums to express an interest in taking on some of these items.”