Bletchley Park Trust ‘Disappointed’ as Government Rejects Appeal for Support

Lord Davies responded: “Both English Heritage and the Housing Communities Agency have provided advice and funding for the development of the Bletchley Park site.  In 2008 English Heritage provided a grant of £330,000 towards buildings conservation repairs and has offered to provide a further £300,000 for the area.  The Housing Communities investment is towards the purchase and redevelopment of the land on the site and related infrastructure.”

Baroness McIntosh replied: "The fundraising effort is indeed going pretty well and it is to improve both the buildings and museum facilities.  Visitor numbers are rising very rapidly and its business plan shows it will be self-sufficient once capital building work is completed.  They are suffering considerable difficulty in surviving in the interim. 

"Could he [the government spokesman Lord Davies] encourage his friends at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to reconsider their willingness to support this project?"  she asked.

Lord Davies once again rejected this with “The issue with regard to support for Bletchley Park is a complex one.  The Bletchley Park Trust itself receives no external support but there is substantial support for the architectural and historical infrastructure.”

Other Lords reinforced Baroness McIntosh's appeal for more government support for Bletchley, which was credited with the birth of "the computer industry in this country" by one peer.  Lord Davies also rejected the suggestion that Bletchley Park should be associated with the Imperial War Museum to recognise the importance of its role in helping to shorten the war by up to two years, saving countless lives.

Simon Greenish, CEO of the Bletchley Park Trust expressed his disappointment in the Government’s response to the appeal for support saying “The Bletchley Park Trust has indeed received significant investment into the infrastructure of the site for the enormous backlog of critical repairs and for this we are grateful to both English Heritage and Milton Keynes Council.  These repairs are already well underway. 

“However, until these building works are completed over the next three years, it is the day-to-day operational costs associated with running this ageing and dilapidated site that the Trust battles to meet.  The Trust is currently working on a major bid for Heritage Lottery Funding and we are hopeful for the success of this bid in order to develop the site into the world-class education and heritage centre it deserves to be.
 
“The Trust’s business plan is a solid one and establishes that once capital building works are complete and the museum has been developed, bringing in substantially more visitors, Bletchley Park will be self-supporting.  Given the significant impact of Bletchley Park’s wartime work on the outcome of World War Two and the way we all live today, I am disappointed at the negative Government response to Baroness McIntosh’s appeal.”
 

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