Somerset Council will try to "recover" public money associated with a troubled regeneration project after the company delivering the changes went into liquidation.

The Red Brick Building, located on Morland Road in Glastonbury, has been the subject of significant building work as part of the £23.6m Glastonbury town deal, with the derelict 'Building C' being transformed into community events space, offices, and other facilities.

Somerset Council officially 'paused' funding for the Life Factory project in January 2024 amid serious concerns being raised about its management, with the South West Audit Partnership (SWAP) delivering a scathing verdict on how the project had been managed in May 2025.

Beckery Construction Company Ltd., the company set up to deliver the £2.89m project, collapsed into liquidation in early-November, with Glastonbury Nub News reporting that it owed more than £686,000 to creditors (including 26 local firms) with just £4,800 of assets.

The council has said that it will continue to co-operate with Avon and Somerset Constabulary's ongoing investigation and was looking at options to recover funding associated with the project.

Reports first surfaced in May 2024 from local residents that "bricklayers, carpenters, roofers, plumbers, joiners and labourers" associated with the project have not been paid "since March".

The issue reached boiling point at a full council meeting in March 2025, where health and safety consultant Jonathan Wilkins informed councillors that his wife of 35 years, Angela, had taken her own life in light of the stress caused by the project.

Taunton resident Brenda Orr warned the council in late-September that taxpayers could be "left with a loss of up to £2.4m" if the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) tried to claw back funding spent on the project.

Deputy leader Liz Leyshon stated at the time that an options appraisal for the future of the Red Brick Building would be discussed by the council's executive before Christmas, adding that the council had "no liability for the creditors" under the original grant funding agreement."

The council's executive committee discussed a report on the Life Factory project when it met in Taunton on November 5; however, due to commercial sensitivity, this discussion took place behind closed doors.

The council has not confirmed how soon any of the contents of this report would be made public, stating it was unable to provide any detail on the next steps due to the ongoing investigation by Avon and Somerset Constabulary.

A spokesperson said: "We are considering the next steps regarding the Life Factory project under the Glastonbury town deal.

"This is a complex matter, and we are working through a series of actions to protect public funds and manage risks for the local community – including consideration of the seeking the recovery of funding already allocated through appropriate means.

"We referred our concerns to the police regarding matters related to the site earlier this year and we are continuing to cooperate with them.

"We cannot share further detail at this stage to ensure due process is followed."

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