Government refuses to help Bletchley Park

With MPs embroiled in financial sleaze over their expenses claims, an appeal for funds for Bletchley Park was rebuffed by Lord Davies of Oldham in the House of Lords yesterday.

The petition for financial aid was put forward by Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall and supported by other Lords. She said that with the enormous amount of work the Trust still has to carry out, it was having “considerable difficulty in surviving” while it works towards becoming self sufficient.

The heritage site is home to the UK’s code-breaking efforts that helped shorten the Second World War, saving countless lives. It is also the birthplace of the modern computer.

However, it receives no Government funding and was nearly razed to the ground a few years ago to make way for a Tesco store. Last year its future looked very bleak until a concerted campaign brought its battle to survive into the spotlight.

Much of the infrastructure is in serious disrepair. While it has since received some funding from English Heritage and Milton Keynes Council, and reconstruction is well underway, there is still an enormous backlog of critical repairs.

"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?" Baroness McIntosh asked.

Lord Davies rejected the appeal and said: “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.”

Simon Greenish, chief executive officer of the Bletchley Park agreed that the Trust had received investment from English Heritage and Milton Keynes council, and they were extremely grateful for this. But he said the dilapidated site needed help with the day-to-day operational and running costs until it could become totally self sufficient.

“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,” he said.