Anyone know who is paying the bill at Stonehenge?

© James Mitchell

Last April the funding package for the Stonehenge Visitor’s Centre and improvements was said to be almost in place – money is coming from the Government, from the Heritage Lottery Fund, from English Heritage’s profit from its commercial activities and fundraising and £2 million from their historic reserves of money given philanthropically over the years.

But not quite all. As the article says – “Today’s announcement means there is now just £3m to raise – a sum English Heritage is confident of getting to allow work to start in 2012.”

That was last April. By all accounts it is still proposed to start the work next April so it seems highly likely the remaining funding has now been secured. Yet no announcement has been made about it.  Shouldn’t the details have been made public by now, particularly if it is coming from new “private philanthropy” as the government seems to want, so that everyone can be reassured that there IS such a thing as a free lunch? No-one wants to be paying for over-priced philanthropy burgers!