No single person or organisation has been formally blamed for the collapse of Glastonbury's £2.89m Life Factory project — but a growing pile of audit reports, official statements and public apologies reveals failure at every level.

As Avon and Somerset Police continue their investigation, Nub News has reviewed the confirmed findings to date.

Somerset Council: Legal duties not met

External auditors Grant Thornton were blunt. Somerset Council failed "in its most basic legal duties" as the accountable body. Internal auditors SWAP found:

• £2.3m paid without a delivery plan
• No site inspections or independent surveys
• Major construction work began without planning permission
• Claims signed off with missing or inaccurate paperwork
• No enforcement of match funding or contract conditions

Despite red flags, the council gave "positive project assurance" in September 2023. Four months later, it suspended the scheme — but only after public concerns, contractor walkouts, and unpaid wages.

Council Chief Executive Duncan Sharkey said: "We take the findings of the independent audit very seriously. We have already taken a wide range of actions, and we will continue to embed stronger controls."

Red Brick Building Board: Oversight weakened

The Life Factory was delivered via Beckery Construction Ltd, a subsidiary of Red Brick Building Centre Ltd. But auditors said the delivery model "diluted control" and weakened board oversight.

Internal documents show the business case lacked a final delivery plan or costed targets. Reports to the council were "deficient" and match funding never materialised. Planning permission was never secured.

In a statement issued on Sunday, 22 December, Red Brick trustees said: "The Glastonbury Town Deal Life Factory project did not merely stretch the organisation — it exhausted it." They say they were forced to cover staff wages when council funds were paused.

Beckery Construction later went into liquidation owing more than £686,000 to local tradespeople. It had just £4,800 in assets.

Town Deal Board: Oversight gaps and key departures

The Town Deal Board lost senior officers in autumn 2023 — just as concerns mounted. Auditors say this led to a loss of "organisational knowledge and visibility".

Minutes show that in September 2023, the board was told the Life Factory "could be delivered without match funding". By January 2024, the project was paused.

Opposition leader Cllr Diogo Rodrigues said: "This council failed in its basic duties as an accountable body. Heads must roll."

Public impact and next steps

The Life Factory collapse has had devastating local consequences. Residents, including Jonathan Wilkins, shared testimony of unpaid work and severe personal stress. His wife, Angela, took her own life earlier this year.

Red Brick's board says its future now hangs in the balance. If Somerset Council enforces clawback, the entire charity may go under — putting other Town Deal-linked sites, including the Glastonbury Food and Regenerative Farming Centre, at risk.

A statutory recommendation — the most serious legal warning available to auditors — has been issued.

Police enquiries remain ongoing. No individual or organisation has been charged with wrongdoing.

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• Wells crime soars by 47 percent in one month, new stats reveal
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• Somerset police arrest 117 in drink and drug drive blitz
• Shepton Mallet panto Scrooge hits Create#8 Thursday
• The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms urgently need £10,000 to repair the exterior wall
• Somerset waste chiefs issue fire warning as gas canisters found in kerbside bins

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