Glastonbury's Town Deal is a complicated programme, with several projects, different public bodies and millions of pounds of government funding involved.

The failed Life Factory project has raised serious questions about oversight, public money and accountability. At the same time, other parts of the Town Deal are complete or still being delivered.

This guide separates the Life Factory from the wider programme, explains who was responsible for what, and sets out what public records currently show.

Quick update: where the Town Deal projects stand

The Life Factory is the project causing the most concern, but it is not the only Town Deal project in Glastonbury. Some projects have already been finished. Others are still being worked on.

Public updates say:

• Baily's Buildings is still being worked on. An anchor tenant has been found for 60% of the West Building. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)
• Glastonbury Clean Energy has delivered two rooftop solar projects, with more work in development. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)
• Robert Richards Initiative has delivered path and access improvements, with more work expected. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)
• St Dunstan's House Health and Wellbeing Centre, Glastonbury Abbey Piazza and Tor Sports and Leisure are listed as complete. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)
• The Enabling Project is still in planning and delivery. It is intended to develop a site for non-bricks-and-mortar dwellers in Glastonbury. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)
• The Glastonbury Food and Farming Centre was stopped in December 2025, but Somerset Council says it may give it £150,000 of leftover Town Deal money. But before the project can start again, the land must no longer belong to Red Brick, the council must properly check Bridie's Farm CIC, and a new funding agreement must be signed.
• The Life Factory has failed, and Somerset Council says no further funding will be released while it continues efforts to recover money already paid out. (somerset.gov.uk)

Somerset Council has now published new decision papers about moving some unused Town Deal money to other projects. In simple terms, some money first set aside for one project may now be used on another project instead. (Somerset Council decision notice)

The papers say £758,000 could be moved to seven projects, including Abbey Piazza, St Dunstan's House, Tor Leisure, St Brigid's Chapel and Field, Beckery House and Somerset Rural Life Museum. A separate proposal would move £650,000 to Baily's Buildings. (Somerset Council decision notice)

The Somerset Council papers say checks must still be carried out before money is released, and some funding agreements may need to be changed.

Who controls the Town Deal money?

Confusion about how public funding is managed has led some people to believe the Glastonbury Town Deal Advisory Board controlled the Town Deal money and was directly responsible for how it was spent.

The records show something more specific.

• Somerset Council, and before that Mendip District Council, was the official body responsible for checking and administering the grant. Somerset Council describes itself as the accountable body responsible for the Town Deal and for ensuring proper use of the £23.6 million government grant. (somerset.gov.uk)
• The Glastonbury Town Deal Advisory Board could discuss projects, ask questions, make recommendations and influence decisions. But the board did not hold the government money itself and did not make the payments.

The role of Glastonbury Town Council

Confusion about the different roles played by councils, boards and project organisations has also led some people to believe Glastonbury Town Council directly controlled the Town Deal funding and how it was spent.

But Glastonbury Town Council did not hold the £23.6 million government grant, did not pay the Life Factory invoices and was not the official body in charge of checking the Town Deal money.

The confusion may have arisen because several current or former Glastonbury town councillors have had roles connected to the Glastonbury Town Deal Advisory Board.

Public records show:

• Cllr Jon Cousins is listed as a Town Deal Board member representing the community. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)
• Cllr Michael White is listed as vice-chair of the Town Deal Board, although he is expected to step down when his tenure as Mayor ends in May. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk).
• Cllr Lokabandhu is listed as a Town Deal Board member representing Glastonbury Town Council. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)
• Cllr Paul Manning is listed as a Town Deal Board member representing Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)
• Cllr Indra Donfrancesco is listed by Glastonbury Town Council as a current town councillor for St Benedict's Ward and was a former member of the Town Deal Advisory Board. (Glastonbury Town Council) She is also listed as an active director of Beckery Construction Company Limited, which is in liquidation. (Find and Update Company Information) A Somerset Council indexed public document refers to "Red Brick's Chairperson, Indra Donfrancesco." (Find and Update Company Information)
• Ian Tucker, a freeman of Glastonbury and former town councillor, is listed as a Town Deal Board member representing business. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)

Those roles meant those individuals could take part in discussions, ask questions and influence the programme.

Residents can fairly ask whether councillors involved in the Town Deal asked enough questions, challenged decisions strongly enough and declared interests properly.

But, again, the records reviewed do not show that anyone other than the county-level council held the grant or controlled Town Deal spending.

Town council: "Admiralty law" claims

Some online posts claimed Glastonbury council has been operating on "admiralty law" or secret legal rules, following the Mayor Making Ceremony on 12th May.

Admiralty law, also called maritime law, is the law for ships and the sea. It deals with things like shipping, cargo, boat crashes, salvage, and disputes about vessels.

• The Mayor Making ceremony and town council meeting itself was real. Cllr Zoe Price was elected mayor at the meeting. Glastonbury Town Council
• The robes, chains and formal traditions are civic ceremony. Wearing civic robes, chains or hats does not turn councillors into "captains". They do not turn a council meeting into a maritime court.
• A town hall is not a ship.
• Town and parish councils get their powers from Acts of Parliament. House of Commons Library
• Magna Carta does not cancel modern council law. Only three clauses remain in force, and the House of Commons Library says their modern effect is limited. House of Commons Library

Town council: Glastonbury Town Council is a 'corporation' with £77m in assets

Some posts have claimed Glastonbury Town Council is not really "ours", but a kind of council corporation.

The claims include:

• That the council is a "body corporate".
• That this makes it separate from the community.
• That it is "registered commercially" because of a D-U-N-S number. A D-U-N-S number is just an ID number for an organisation. It is created by a company called Dun & Bradstreet, which keeps records about businesses and organisations around the world.
• That it owns £77.2 million of land, buildings and assets "in its own name".

What the evidence shows:

• "Body corporate" is normal legal wording.
• It does not mean "private company". It means a council can own buildings, employ staff, sign contracts and continue when councillors change. Local Government Act 1972
• The D-U-N-S number quoted in the post appears to be for Somerset Council, not Glastonbury Town Council.
• Glastonbury Town Council does not have a D-U-N-S number listed
• A D-U-N-S number is just an ID number for organisations. It does not prove a council is a business. Dun & Bradstreet

The £77.2 million claim is not supported by Glastonbury Town Council's published accounts.

• Glastonbury Town Council's published 2024/25 accounts list fixed assets of around £4.1 million.
• Nub News has found no evidence in the published accounts to support the £77.2 million figure. Glastonbury Town Council accounts

The power claim is partly true, but overstated.

• Somerset Council does have more powers than Glastonbury Town Council. That is because town councils are a smaller tier of local government.
• But Glastonbury Town Council is still a real elected public body. House of Commons Library

Town council: Ancient charters and modern land ownership

Some have claimed that medieval charters prove Glastonbury land belongs permanently to the town.

• Glastonbury Abbey says the earliest historical evidence for the monastery includes late seventh-century charters showing grants of land to the monastery. Those charters are part of Glastonbury's history, but they do not show modern ownership by Glastonbury Town Council. (glastonburyabbey.com)
• The Queen Anne Charter of 1705 gave Glastonbury corporate status and civic privileges. It did not give Glastonbury Town Council ownership of all land in Glastonbury.
• Historic charters are part of Glastonbury's story and identity, but they do not override modern property law, planning law or Land Registry records.

Town Council: Claims about public participation being banned

One claim being shared online is that Glastonbury Town Council held a meeting on 29 April 2026 and voted to permanently ban public participation at future meetings.

Nub News has found no evidence to support that claim.

• There is no verified record of a Glastonbury Town Council meeting on 29 April 2026.
• Glastonbury Town Council says the claim is not correct.
• There is no verified agenda showing a vote to ban public participation.
• There is no verified minute showing such a decision was made.
• Nub News reviewed older agendas and minutes and found no evidence of such a proposal being formally discussed or approved at other meetings either.
• Somerset Council says it does not publish town council minutes on its democracy website.
• Somerset Council says it has found no evidence the PDF was part of its official records.

In a statement, Somerset Council said: "Somerset Council does not host or publish agendas or minutes for town or parish councils on its democracy website. Those documents are managed and published independently by the relevant local council."

The council said it was aware of a shared link which appeared to reference a document on its system, but added: "At this stage, we have found no evidence that the PDF it refers to was formally published by Somerset Council or held as part of our official records."

Somerset Council said what people may be seeing is "a standard error page" generated when someone follows a link that does not exist on its server.

The council added: "We would encourage anyone to rely on verified sources of information, such as official council websites, and to treat unverified material shared online with caution."

Somerset Council: The "£411 million free cash" claim

An online post claims Somerset Council is not really short of money. It claims Somerset Council has £411 million in "free cash" and is choosing to hoard it instead of spending it on services, housing and local projects.

• It uses figures from the council's accounts, but presents them as spare money, which is misleading.

Somerset Council's accounts do show some big numbers, including around £328.4 million in usable reserves, around £82.6 million in cash, and net assets of around £1.155 billion. Somerset Council annual accounts

But that does not mean the council has £411 million sitting in a giant spare-money pot.

The claim works by adding two figures together:

• £328.4 million in usable reserves
• £82.6 million cash in the bank

That sounds simple, but it is not how council accounts work.

"Usable reserves" does not mean "money the council can spend on anything it likes". It means money that can be used, but often only for certain purposes.

Some of that money may already be set aside for things like:

• emergencies
• planned projects
• schools
• debt
• grants
• insurance risks
• legal duties

The cash figure is also not extra money on top of the reserves. It may already be part of the same overall financial position. So adding cash and reserves together can make the total look bigger than it really is.

The £134.4 million "increase" also needs care. It is a movement in the accounts, not proof that Somerset Council made £134.4 million in spare cash. Council accounts include transfers, technical adjustments and changes in asset values.

It is true that Somerset Council was allowed to raise council tax by around 7.49%. Somerset Council budget papers

But Nub News has found no evidence that the council tax rise "went straight into reserves", as claimed in the posts.

Somerset Council: Is there really a secret "Project 11" land grab?

Some people online are saying Somerset Council has a secret plan called "Project 11", saying the council wants to take public land in Glastonbury, sell it, and hide the money.

• There are 11 Town Deal projects.
• The 11th project is the Glastonbury Food and Regenerative Farming Centre at Bridie's Farm. The Town Deal website says it is meant to help with food, farming, learning and the community. (Source: Glastonbury Town Deal)
• Somerset Council has said it is looking at some land and buildings because the council has money problems. (Source: Somerset Council)
• Councils are allowed to review property they own.
• They are also allowed to sell land in some circumstances, but they have to follow the law. (Source: Local Government Act 1972)

Plans for 90 homes near Lowerside Lane are real. (Source: Nub News previous reporting) and mome people do not want the homes built there.

• The homes are planned for "Greenfield" land, not "Green Belt" land.
• Greenfield usually means land that has not already been built on.
• Green Belt is a special planning protection.

Does Magna Carta make all of this illegal?

The online post says Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights mean the council cannot make these decisions.

• That is not how modern law works.
• Magna Carta is very important in history. But the House of Commons Library says only a few parts are still law today, and it does not cancel modern Acts of Parliament. (Source: House of Commons Library)
• Modern council law says councils can sell land in some circumstances if they follow the proper rules. (Source: Local Government Act 1972)

Somerset Council: The £5 million climate fund claim

The online post says a £5 million climate fund secretly came from land sales in Glastonbury, Street and Wells.

It mentions a document called "CAP/2026/041".

• Nub News could not find a public Somerset Council record with that reference or the words quoted in the post. (Source checked: Somerset Council public records)
• In Somerset Council terms it relates to a Customer Access Point.
• The only documented reference to "CAP 041" refers to Civil Aviation Publication 041 — a UK aviation standards document about approving authorised pilot examiners — it is not a council finance code. (Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority)

Somerset Council: did online scrutiny force it to create a new AI role?

Another post claims a new "Data, AI and Transparency" role at Norht Somerset Council was created because of pressure over Somerset Council's finances and the Glastonbury Town Deal.

The role is real. The geography is the problem.

• North Somerset Council is a separate council from Somerset Council.
• Somerset Council covers Glastonbury, Wells, Taunton, Yeovil and most of the county.
• North Somerset Council covers places such as Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon and Portishead.
• The two councils have different leaders, budgets, accounts and responsibilities.
• North Somerset Council is not responsible for Glastonbury Town Deal.

Somerset Council: The Auditors letter

Claim: Somerset Council and the auditors

Another online post says auditors sent a final letter on 19 May 2026, called AUD/2026/097.

It claims the letter said Somerset Council's accounts could not be signed off because £411m, Project 11, and land-sale money were unlawful.

• In December 2025 Somerset Council confirmed that Grant Thornton gave it 3 statutory recommendations about money, governance and transformation. (somerset.gov.uk)
• The council says statutory recommendations must be looked at publicly by Full Council. (somerset.gov.uk)
• The council later said audit recommendations had gone down from 19 to 9, but 3 statutory recommendations were still in place. (somerset.gov.uk)
• Public audit papers show concerns about finances and governance. They do not show auditors saying "£411m was unlawful" or that "Project 11" was unlawful. (democracy.somerset.gov.uk)
• There is currently no sign of any official document called AUD/2026/097, or any official source containing the claims that "£411m is unlawful", "Project 11 disposals are unlawful", or that there was a "clear breach of trust".

Town Deal: The Life Factory collapse and the Regenerative Farming Centre

The Life Factory was meant to turn part of the Red Brick Building into a place for work, training and community activities.

The main groups involved were:

• Red Brick Building Centre Ltd: in charge of the project.
• Beckery Construction Company Ltd: involved in the building work.
• Somerset Council: meant to check public money was being spent properly.
• Glastonbury Town Deal Board: oversaw the wider Town Deal programme.

John Capper was linked to both Red Brick and Beckery Construction. He was also married to Dr Lynne Sedgmore CBE, who was chair of the Glastonbury Town Deal Board. Mr Capper said this link had been openly declared. Read more here.

The project started to go wrong in late 2023.

• Mr Capper resigned in November 2023.
• He said he could not get clear answers about the money.
• Somerset Council paused the project in January 2024.
• The council said it needed to look into concerns.

Auditors later found:

• No clear plan.
• No secured extra funding.
• No planning permission.
• Poor checks on the money.
• Missing paperwork.
• No proper contract between Red Brick and Beckery Construction.
• Payments approved when information was missing or unclear.

By the time the project was halted:

• More than £2.3 million had already been paid.
• The building still had no roof.
• Some contractors said they had not been paid.
• Somerset Council said no more Town Deal money would be released. Read more here.

Red Brick said:

• Its new leaders looked into the project in early 2024.
• They decided the money did not add up.
• They said most problems were linked to Beckery Construction.
• They struggled to get clear figures from Beckery.
• Emergency work to make the unsafe building stable cost about £100,000.
• The Life Factory part stayed unfinished and derelict.
• Somerset Council should also have watched the project more closely.
• The collapse was "a collective failure".
• The main Red Brick community hub was still open. Youth work, events, the garden and other services kept going.
• The Life Factory part of the site was still unfinished. Read more here.

Beckery Construction later went into liquidation.

• It owed more than £686,000.
• It had only £4,800 left in assets.
• Twenty-six local businesses, mostly small contractors, were facing losses. Read more here.

The fallout also hit the Town Deal Advisory Board.

• Dr Lynne Sedgmore resigned as chair in June 2025.
• She said she had faced stress and public attacks.
• She said she had not received money or financial benefit from Town Deal funds, Red Brick or Beckery Construction.
• Kama McKenzie also resigned.
• Cllr Michael White became acting chair. Read more here.

Somerset Council later said:

• It "took too long" to stop the project.
• It should not have paid some claims.
• Some claims did not have enough clear information.
• It had failed to check the project properly. Read more here.

In June 2025

• Police began looking into the Life Factory after a referral
• No findings have been announced yet. Read more here.

In November 2025:

• Somerset Council formally cancelled the Life Factory.
• It said it was trying to recover £2,295,512.50 from Red Brick.
• A linked project, the Glastonbury Food and Regenerative Farming Centre, was also cancelled.
• The council said it was trying to recover £115,715 from that project too. Read more here.

In May 2026

• Somerset Council said the farming centre may now be revived separately, but only if the land is moved out of Red Brick ownership, Bridie's Farm CIC passes further due diligence, and a new grant agreement is signed before work begins.

The big questions are:

• Who approved the payments?
• Why did payments continue after concerns were raised?
• Why was the project not stopped sooner?
• Who was checking the work?
• Can the public money be recovered?
• Were conflicts of interest handled properly?

Town Deal: is £1.46m being spent on eight caravan pitches?

A post circulating online claims that £1.46 million is being spent on eight caravan pitches.

Somerset Council says that is not true.

The £1.46 million is for the Enabling Project, which is meant to help create a safe place for Glastonbury's non-bricks and mortar community. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)

• The council says the project was never only for eight families or eight pitches.
• It says the plan is to make as many safe spaces as possible, with water, toilets and rubbish collection.
• The project still has its £1.46 million funding.
• Some money was spent on an older plan, but that plan stopped because the land had serious flooding problems. The Town Deal website says a new site was bought in 2024 and a new planning application is being prepared. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)

Nub News has not found a public list showing exactly how much money has been spent so far..

Moving money within the Town Deal

Some people have asked whether moving Town Deal money from one project to another means something has gone wrong.

New Somerset Council papers show that some Town Deal money is now being moved through an official process. (Somerset Council decision notice)

Some projects did not need all the money first set aside for them, or could not use it in the way first planned. Somerset Council is now looking at moving that money to other projects that may be able to use it before the deadline.

The papers say:

• £758,000 could be moved to seven other projects;
• £650,000 could be moved to Baily's Buildings;
• Checks must be done before the money is released;
• Funding agreements may need to be changed;
• Projects must show what they will deliver.

(Somerset Council decision notice)

Residents can still ask fair questions, such as :

• Who approved the move;
• What checks were done,;
• What the money will pay for;
• Whether the town will get the benefits promised.

But moving Town Deal money between projects can be part of normal grant management, as long as it is done through the correct channels.

Town Deal: Bride's Mound access works

Some online posts have voiced concerns the path works at Bride's Mound were really an "industrial utility highway".

Town Deal records say an easy-access path was laid across Orchard Field and up onto Bride's Mound, and that the stone-dust path on top of Bride's Mound was removed in September 2025 after feedback. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)

That supports criticism of the surface. But Nub News did not find Somerset Council documents, planning records or official reports showing the path was a hidden industrial road or development route.

Town Deal: Tor Leisure and Fields in Trust protections

Some online posts have raised fears that Tor Leisure could be sold off, handed to developers, or affected by Fusion Lifestyle going into administration.

• Tor Leisure reopened after refurbishment in February 2025. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)
• Tor Leisure playing fields are protected by Fields in Trust. That means the fields are meant to stay as public green space for sport and leisure. (glastonburytowndeal.co.uk)
• Paul Manning, who later sat on the Glastonbury Town Deal Board, was also involved with Friends of Tor Leisure, the group credited with helping to protect the playing fields.
• Town Deal Advisory Board member Paul Knight was also one of the Friends of Tor Leisure.
• Fusion Lifestyle used to run Tor Sports and Leisure, but it went into administration on 1 April 2026.
• Somerset Council says the Town Deal money for the Tor Leisure refurbishment was not paid directly to Fusion Lifestyle. Somerset Council says they took the lease back while the building work was happening. Fusion Lifestyle later paid for some fit-out items, such as gym equipment, furniture and lockers. (Glastonbury Nub News)

That does not answer every question about who may run the site in future.

But Nub News did not find records showing Tor Leisure is being freely sold off for development.

Why we keep revisiting this story

The Life Factory collapse is not a closed chapter.

Millions of pounds of public funding were involved. A major project failed. Local contractors were affected. Somerset Council says £2.29 million is being pursued, and police enquiries into the project remain ongoing. (Somerset Council statement)

But this is also a wider Town Deal story.

Part of the confusion comes from how complicated the system is. The programme involved government funding, Somerset Council, the former Mendip District Council, the Glastonbury Town Deal Advisory Board, project leads, local organisationsand community groups. They did not all have the same powers or responsibilities.

That has made it easy for different parts of the story to become mixed together.

Residents, campaigners and community groups are right to keep asking for answers. Public pressure can expose gaps, push Somerset Council and other public bodies to explain decisions and keep attention on how public money is handled.

At the same time, one failed project should not overshadow everything else happening through the Town Deal. Other projects have been completed or are still being delivered, including improvements at Tor Leisure, Abbey Yard, St Dunstan's House and local path schemes. Those successes matter too, as do the people and organisations working on projects bringing benefits to Glastonbury.

Nub News will keep asking clear, fair questions about what went wrong at the Life Factory, who was responsible for what, what can be recovered, and what lessons have been learned.

We will also keep explaining how the wider Town Deal works, where local government responsibilities sit, and why influence is not the same as legal control of public money.

That also means treating information carefully.

Online posts can raise important questions. But before sharing a claim, it is worth pausing to ask where it came from, what evidence supports it, whether it has been checked, and whether anyone criticised has had a fair chance to respond.

The Life Factory remains the unresolved part of the story. The wider Town Deal is a separate question.

Nub News will keep following both: the unanswered questions around the Life Factory, and the progress of the wider Town Deal in Glastonbury.

Follow our reporting on the Life Factory project:

For more background on the Life Factory project and the fallout around it, you can read our previous reporting here:

• £3m Glastonbury regeneration project at risk of becoming a 'watertight shell' amid financial concerns
• Glastonbury council backs Life Factory project amid funding setbacks
• 'Real people, real consequences': Red Brick Building says Life Factory project has become 'political football'
• Glastonbury Life Factory project halted after audit raises serious financial concerns
• Explained: How Glastonbury's £3m Life Factory project unravelled and what happens next
• Red Brick Building responds to Life Factory collapse: 'This was a collective failure'
• Ex-director breaks silence over Glastonbury's failed £3m Life Factory project
• Glastonbury Town Deal Board slams council over handling of Life Factory fallout as top figures resign
• Glastonbury Town Deal chair resigns citing stress and public attacks following Life Factory audit fallout
• Audit fallout continues as Red Brick board defends decisions on Life Factory project
• Paperwork missing, builders unpaid: FOI lays bare chaos of Glastonbury's Life Factory project
• Police launch fraud probe into Glastonbury's Red Brick Building project
• Glastonbury Life Factory builder collapses owing £686,000
• Somerset Council vows to claw back cash after Glastonbury regeneration firm collapses
• Glastonbury: £420k handed to failed project after funding freeze
• Auditors slam council over missing millions in project
• Somerset deputy leader cleared after conflict claim over troubled Glastonbury Life Factory project
• Council waited too long to stop £2.9m Life Factory project in Glastonbury
• Glastonbury Red Brick bosses say Town Deal crisis broke charity
• Glastonbury Life Factory: Who is saying what in £23m meltdown?
• Glastonbury's £23.6m revamp still on track despite Red Brick Building collapse
• Contractor says unpaid Glastonbury Town Deal work contributed to wife's death
• Cloister-inspired glazing installed at Glastonbury Abbey as redevelopment nears completion
• Five Glastonbury Town Deal projects set to open this year as £23.6m transformation powers on
• Glastonbury Town Deal projects take shape amid rising costs and strategic pivots
• Sneak peek: Glastonbury's Town Deal projects take shape
• Approval granted for major new visitor destination in Glastonbury
• Tor Leisure's spring makeover: Multi-million-pound investment kicks off in GlastonburySomerset Council approves £2m regenerative farming centre for Glastonbury
• Glastonbury residents urged to have say on £23.6m Town Deal

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