Monmouthshire County Council refused to confirm what the cost of a new County Hall project will be after close questioning at last week's cabinet meeting.

 Last week the Beacon reported that the projected costs of the project had increased from £18million to £24.9million.

 During the cabinet meeting, Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader, Cllr. Phil Hobson quizzed members of the cabinet and senior finance officers.

 When questioned, senior officers refused to be drawn on the projected cost of the projects saying that they were not in a position to confirm any figure. Asked why cabinet papers showed a cost of £25million, officers said that the project could cost more or it could cost less.

 Not satisfied Cllr. Hobson challenged the Cabinet Members to 'come clean' and "explain what had driven up costs so suddenly."

 Corporate Director for Finance Steve Greenslade replied: "Nothing is driving it up and when I have mentioned £18 million I said don't come back to me when it changes because it's not final and it won't be £25 million either. It could be more or less. We are still talking about the size of the new building."

Further details of the funding of the new County Hall in the council's budget papers reveal a potential borrowing of £20million.

"That's a huge amount for the Council to borrow to fund one project, when schools and highways have been crying out for money year on year", said Phil Hobson.

 Speaking after the cabinet meeting, Cllr. Hobson said that he was even more concerned about the costs of the project than before the meeting: "I asked a series of questions on behalf of the Liberal Democrat Opposition and we didn't get any firm answers. All we know is that the Conservatives with Labour Party support chose to go ahead with this project without knowing how much it would cost. My biggest fear is that the costs escalate and drive the County's finances over the edge."