LESS than 45 per cent of the £212 million earmarked for the Western Link will actually be spent on constructing the bypass if it is built.

Last Monday campaigners reacted with anger after the scheme was approved by the council's executive board at the Town Hall.

A business case will now be submitted to the Government next month before transport chiefs find out if the town will be given the required funding for the scheme.

The highway, which would link the A56 Chester Road with the A57 Sankey Way in Great Sankey, was initially priced at £145 million.

However, the figure rose to £195 million before a further increase to £212.74 million.

In total, £142.54 million is requested from Government, with the council to contribute £70.2 million.

An interest liability of £43.18 million will be placed on the council's contribution.

But finance chiefs confirmed this would be 'serviced entirely' through prudential borrowing consisting of a new homes bonus and community infrastructure levy, national non-domestic rates and receipts from land sales.

A breakdown of the costs confirmed that £93.1 million of the projected £212.74 million, which amounts to just under 44 per cent, would be spent on constructing the highway.

Just over £24 million has been set aside for inflation allowances and £27.62 million for 'risks', while £21.2 million has been earmarked for land cost estimates, including potential statutory blight claims.

Further projected costs include £13.24 million for utilities, £9.26 million for design work, £9.84 million for construction site staff, £5.5 million for professional fees, £5 million for 'wider network costs', £2.5 million for 'preliminaries' and £880,000 for Network Rail 'interactions'.

But the council has also calmed fears any more cost increases.

A spokesman said: "The costings are based on the most accurate information available at this point in the development of the project and include a £27.62 million risk allocation for identified areas where estimates have been made of potential cost increases.

"The design process needed to estimate costs, in itself, costs a considerable amount of money.

"It is good practice to initially carry out a basic amount of design to compare different schemes and when the preferred scheme is identified, more detailed design work is carried out, risks are further assessed and this, in turn, increases the cost."

John O'Connell, chief executive at the TaxPayers' Alliance, believes the project ‘should be subject to the maximum possible scrutiny’.

He said: "The public sector is just not good at large infrastructure projects – and costs only ever go up.

“With this in mind, this project should be subject to the maximum possible scrutiny and transparency to ensure costs don't spiral out of control, leaving taxpayers on the hook for the eventual costs."