Number 10 responds to the petition to save Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes, about 50 miles north of London, was the British nerve centre of second world war military code-breaking and the birthplace of the modern computer. Within the last twenty years its historical significance has been recognised and the remains of the wartime site now has a museum dedicated to explaining its past, as well as the reconstructed Colossus hosted by the National Museum of Computing (passim). But funds are tight and the supporting organisations failed to get grants to ensure the site’s survival in the medium or long term. As linked through from this page, a petition was lodged on 28 May with 10 Downing Street via their excellent MySociety–built online petition page. The official response was published today.

Although HMG itself is not going to intervene directly, Downing Street points out that things are being done by a variety of bodies such as English Heritage and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council to help Bletchley Park survive. The actions so far include £900,000 of aid towards critical restoration work. Votes of confidence. I look forward to a brighter future for this strange and unique place.

The Number 10 response to the petition