Conservatives have this week been challenging the cost to Bath and North East Somerset Council of building a thirteen-pitch traveller site on the Lower Bristol Road, in Bath, which they say has escalated to over £2.5 million. The Council insists that there is a provisional budget allocation of £2.4 million, with the hope that it will cost less, at £1.8 million. The Conservatives argue that the advice they have received is that the project could not be possible for less than £2.245 million and say they will be seeking answers from officers at Tuesday's budget meeting.

Conservatives say the new figure is contained within the Liberal Democrat-run Council's budget plans for the forthcoming year and represents a £750,000 increase over the original total of £1.8 million. The Party has pointed out that if their figures are correct, at over £190,000 per plot, the traveller site is likely to be one of the most costly per pitch in the country.

Conservatives say the Council was recently awarded £750,000 by the Homes and Communities Agency towards the cost of the scheme. However, instead of using this money to reduce the Council's contribution, B&NES has added the sum to the total budget for the project to help cover the increasing costs. Part of the Council's explanation for the rising cost of the project is put down to the fact the Authority previously failed to factor in the cost of the land, which B&NES has to budget for despite already owning the site, as well as higher than expected costs to develop the site.

Local Conservatives have questioned why the amount of money needed to deliver the project is so high and have argued that if the Lib-Dems had a better grip on the cost, then some of the cash could be used for other capital projects, such as highway maintenance, road safety schemes or affordable housing.

B&NES Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Tim Warren, said: "I think residents will question why the costs of this project are escalating so much. The previous £1.8 million figure was already a large amount of money to be spending on this and we had been assured by the Lib-Dems that this price tag would come down if the Council could secure a Government grant towards the cost.

"Yet instead, because B&NES hasn't kept a lid on costs, the £750,000 grant is being added to the total cost, not being used to reduce it.

"Of course, the Council has a responsibility to identify suitable land which can be used as traveller sites and the Lower Bristol Road site clearly needs to be formalised and brought up to a proper living standard as soon as possible. But Councillors also have a duty to ensure that taxpayers' money is being spent prudently and if the cost of this project were kept down, then the money could be used for other capital projects, such as highway maintenance, road safety schemes or affordable housing.

"We are therefore urging B&NES to drill down into these costs as the current price, £2.5 million, or nearly £200,000 per traveller pitch, seems exceptionally high."

Responding this week, a Council Spokesperson said: "The Council has not been given £750,000 by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). An indication has been given to the Council by the HCA that £750,000 may be available should the project be completed by March 2015. We cannot spend money we don't have. There is no approved project in place for the Lower Bristol Road travellers' site and the cost may be limited if land is 'gifted' or tenders come in lower than expected.

"This area urgently needs gypsy/ traveller pitches. The current plans for Lower Bristol Road would provide thirteen pitches. To deliver this site, planning consent is needed. Part of the application will require measures to reduce noise coming from the site and safe highways access. This is likely to have an impact on costs, although no final project budget has been established yet. In respect of the land, this is Council owned.

"If measures are not delivered, it is unlikely the thirteen-pitch site would be able to go ahead. Over the past ten years, there have been around twenty unauthorised gypsy and traveller sites across the district. Once the Council has allocated land for pitches and facilities are in place, we will have a firm basis upon which to take robust enforcement action on unauthorised sites.

"Improved facilities on authorised sites will result in an improved local environment and more orderly surroundings, compared with unauthorised sites."