The new Swindon Museum and Art Gallery should be open in Spring next year, the councillor in charge has said.

But Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for heritage, art and culture won’t narrow it down further - despite one report saying the galleries should be open in March.

Work is going on to convert the second-storey offices at the borough council’s Euclid Street civic offices into spaces for exhibitions of both Swindon’s history and to display items from its important collection of modern art.

A report to the scrutiny committee last week by the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for organisational oversight Emma Bushell to the scrutiny committee identified the opening date as March next year.

Conservative councillor and Cllr Strinkovsky's predecessor in the cabinet culture role Councillor Matty Courtliff asked Cllr Strinkovsky in the full council meeting when the museum and gallery will open, and followed up by asking Cllr Strinkovsky whether the March date was an accurate one.

She said: “Anyone who has ever had a new kitchen put in by builders will understand why I won’t commit myself further than spring next year.”

And she agreed with Cllr Courtliff when he asked if she thought the Civic Offices are a suitable place for the new exhibition spaces.

But she added a somewhat pointed remark: “I do agree this is the right place, and that’s why we started the work on it.”

Cllr Courtliff said after the meeting: “It’s not true to say the work was started under this administration- I was there, and the contract for the new lift was out to tender.”

The people of Swindon have not been able to see the artworks and historic artefacts they own, including the famous and well-loved gharial crocodile, since March in 2020.

The galleries, then located in the listed Regency building Apsley House in Old Town, were closed for the first Covid-19 lockdown.

The Conservative administration then said the building was not fit for purpose and said the cost of repairing the building and making it more accessible to visitors would be prohibitive.

When the administration first mooted using the Civic Offices as a temporary gallery the idea was opposed initially by both the Friends of Swindon Museum & Art Gallery and some Labour councillors.

A new lift is being installed into the listed 1920s building to allow visitors better access to the upper floors.