A town council meeting has laid bare the chaos surrounding Glastonbury's failed Life Factory project — with councillors branding it a "bloody tragedy" and demanding answers over how public money was spent.

Speaking at this week's Glastonbury Town Council meeting, a representative of the board read out a prepared statement outlining the steps taken by the Red Brick since new leadership took over in 2024, and the actions of its now-dissolved subsidiary, Beckery Construction Company (BCC), which had been overseeing the Town Deal-funded Life Factory scheme.

"The audit revealed no new insights. It failed to answer the one question everyone was asking — where did the money go?" the statement read. "The funds were spent on labour, materials, surveys, staffing, professional advice and contractors — but Red Brick already knew that."

The statement claimed that under new leadership, the board had commissioned its own audit in early 2024 and found the project to be financially unsustainable. It was paused, and Somerset Council later followed suit in halting funding.

The board described the impact of the delay in the Town Deal audit — which took more than a year to complete — as leaving them "unsupported and increasingly vulnerable."

Red Brick's board said the issues lay largely with Beckery Construction Company (BCC), a separate arm set up to run the Life Factory project. Directors resigned under pressure, the board struggled to get accurate figures, and emergency repairs to stabilise the unsafe building racked up £100,000 in costs.

"We've worked tirelessly to keep the Red Brick community hub alive," the statement said, listing ongoing services like the youth club, a new restaurant, community garden, and events programme. But the Life Factory side remains derelict, with rubble still piled outside.

Questions from councillors focused on financial oversight, creditor payments, and whether match funding had ever been properly secured.

Cllr Rik Cook didn't hold back, saying: "Quite a good effort at defence — but tragically, none of this would have happened if the project hadn't proceeded without match funding… it's a bloody tragedy because it should never have started in the first place."

Cllr Lili Osborn said: "One of the things we're all concerned about is local firms not being paid… small businesses need that cash flow to survive."

The meeting also confirmed that £175,000 was thought to be left in the budget prior to the audit — but exactly how much remains unspent is unclear. Some outstanding invoices may yet reduce that figure.

There are now fears that if clawback is triggered — where the government demands money back from Somerset Council — Red Brick could be forced to sell its building.

The Red Brick team insists the wider community hub remains active and determined to rebuild trust — but the damage from the Life Factory fallout is clear.

As Cllr Cook put it: "Nothing about this project can be justified… not to the people of this town."

Emergency stabilisation works on the derelict Building C have already cost around £100,000, yet rubble still blocks access and the site remains unusable. Despite this, Red Brick's board emphasised that "behind the scaffolding" lies a thriving community hub — home to a new restaurant, youth club, community drop-in sessions, live events, and an award-winning garden.

They stressed that the Red Brick Building itself is entirely separate from the Life Factory project and continues to operate.

During the meeting, it was confirmed that scaffolding contractors had been paid, though some invoice discrepancies remain. A total of 14 creditors are still listed, but only a small number are local firms.

A representative told the council: "We believe the situation spiralled due to lack of oversight and staffing both within Somerset Council and at project level. We've worked hard to rebuild trust and continue to do so."

There was some disagreement over whether the project should have begun at all without match funding in place. However, the clerk clarified that approval for that decision would have rested with the accountable body at the time, Mendip District Council, and not with Beckery Construction.

The board reiterated that any suggestion of financial misconduct is subject to ongoing legal processes but maintained their position that mismanagement, not malice, lay at the heart of the scheme's failure.