The Lydiard Park Heritage Trust is a local community organisation who had been agreed on by Swindon Council to take over the running of Lydiard. This decision was taken after Lydiard & Freshbrook Labour Councillor, Matthew Courtliff, persuaded Swindon Council to choose a community trust to manage Lydiard for the g ood of the community rather than a private company looking for profit.

Although the Tory administration has said that the Council will continue to run Lydiard for the time being, the Conservative Council has previously expressed an interest in transferring Lydiard to the private sector and have hived off Swindon Borough Council’s leisure centres and golf courses. Any promise not to sell Lydiard does not rule out their usual route of long leases and removal of publicly accountable control.

In the words of Lydiard Park Heritage Trust

“SBC are thrashing about trying to justify a situation which they have brought upon themselves . We have done our utmost to work within their process that has never really been fit for purpose -being riddled with confusion , contradiction, delay and inept management.”

Labour have committed to keeping Lydiard House & Park in public control and were not approached by the Conservatives to discuss a joint approach before their West Swindon councillors leaflets trying to avoid responsibility for their failure to secure Lydiard’s future.