THE cost of building a dedicated Gypsy and Traveller site in Newport has already exceeded £3 million.

A Newport council report has revealed what it called “a further overspend” on the Ringland site had been incurred to the tune of £400,000.

It also said the total project spend for the site, which was given planning permission in August 2016, currently stands at £3.1 million.

The exact number of previous overspends and the total sum over original cost estimations as a result was not detailed in the report.

The local authority says the £400,000 stems from a retendering process ordered by the Welsh Government for the development of the site at Ellen Ridge.

Written at the end of August, but put before cabinet on Wednesday, it said groundworks at the 4.78-hectare site were due to begin last month.

The council will cover half of the £400,000 excess which was detailed in changes to the council’s approved capital spending programme, with the Welsh Government paying for the rest.

The local authority is legally required to build a Gypsy and Traveller site, with Welsh Government ministers also calling for a suitable transit site to be identified within the city.

READ MORE: Welsh Government calls for Newport transit site for Gypsy and traveller families

Archaeological ruins were discovered at the site in early 2017, with the council saying at the time that the find was “not unexpected” and would not delay the project.

Members did not directly discuss the overspend, but council leader Debbie Wilcox spoke about the pressures on the council to deliver capital projects.

“Some schemes might have to be tempered due to the destruction of the public realm. Cross party councils are in trouble,” said Cllr Wilcox.

“We’re fiscally responsible and we carry out that duty extremely well, but we’ve got to be very careful going forward.

“Some ambitions may not come to fruition.”

But Councillor Matthew Evans, leader of the council’s Conservative opposition, has criticised cabinet members for not specifically discussing it at the meeting.

Speaking afterwards, Cllr Evans said: “The issue of Gypsy and Travellers is a major one amongst members of the public.

“This is taxpayers’ money, whether it comes from Welsh Government or the council.”

Concerns were also raised about the overspend not being previously reported to the overview and management scrutiny committee, of which Cllr Evans is a member.

Cllr Evans told the committee on Thursday: “There were only a few lines [in the report] regarding an overspend of £400,000.

“That is a lot of money and to have no explanation at the [cabinet] meeting, how does that not get flagged up?

“We seriously need nip it in the bud before it becomes a case of ‘why didn’t we do that at the time?’”

A spokeswoman for Newport City Council said: “The original figure was just an estimate and we have updated the costs after the work was re-tendered and the bids came in above the original estimates.

“Scrutiny would normally only review this if the final contract spending was significantly in excess of the tendered sum.

“We are legally obliged to provide the Gypsy and Traveller residential site for local families and 50 per cent of projected overspent is being met by the Welsh Government and the other 50 per cent can be met within the council’s capital budget.”

The council will be required to spend any funds made available by the Welsh Government by March 2019.