Councillor wants management changes at the garden

Despite funding of more than �1m being unveiled on Wednesday to save the tourist attraction, everything in the garden is far from rosy.

There are still apparent tensions between the financial backers and those in charge at troubled Middleton, as its trustees look towards nurturing green shoots of recovery.

The financial deal to keep the gardens going over the next year depends on �300,000 each from Carmarthenshire Council, the Millennium Commission and the Welsh Assembly Government.

But the council appears to be insisting that management changes will have to be made if Middleton is to receive the authority's share of funding.

The trustees recognise the need to rebuild the management team and strengthen the corporate governance of the garden. Joint statement

Cabinet member for economic development Huw John said that the �300,000 would only be given on the clear understanding that there would be a change in the way Middleton is run.

When pressed on BBC Radio Cymru what would happen if the trustees refused to go, Mr John replied: "Then there'll be no money from us".

The trustees issued a joint statement with the council and assembly government, in which they accepted the rescue package.

'Spin machine'

It said: "As with any new botanic garden, the early years are challenging and the trustees recognise the need to rebuild the management team and strengthen the corporate governance of the garden."

Earlier, Brian Charles, deputy chairman of the trustees said that the assembly government had not asked them to stand down. He said the only reference to resignations was in the media, attributed to "government sources" which he said was the "spin machine".

Mr Charles said the letter from the assembly government offering aid referred only to the need to strengthen the governance and management.

Middleton had started off with 18 trustees, and were now down to six. So the trustees recognised there was a clear need to strengthen the body.

Culture Minister Alun Pugh, when unveiling the rescue package on Wednesday, said there was a duty to protect public money.

He said the funding package was "conditional on the strengthening of the corporate governance and management of the garden to our satisfaction and that of the parties in the proposal."

The �43m attraction, which is run by the independent board of trustees, had been facing closure after Mr Pugh rejected calls in December for a �3m assembly bail-out.

He still insists there are "no blank cheques" for the future funding of the garden, which opened four years ago.

The garden has experienced a slump in visitor numbers and has run up about �3m in debts.