One of Hucknall's County Councillors has warned that the spiralling cost of the Gedling Access Road may impact funding for highways in Hucknall.

Councillor Lee Waters was speaking after it was revealed in a Finance Meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council that the £40million project is already forecast to be overspent by £5.4million.

Councillor Waters, an Ashfield Independent councillor who represents Hucknall South, spoke of his worry about the impact of the overspend on planned highways improvements in towns like Hucknall.

He said to the committee: "This overspend is a disaster for this County Council – already struggling from funding shortfalls due to COVID. Costs have rocketed 12.75% and it is Council taxpayers of this authority who have to pick up the bill for this incompetence from the Conservative County Council.

"Can we have a guarantee that no cuts will be made to the Highways' Capital Programme funding for this or any other year? In Ashfield and particularly Hucknall – we already suffer from a poor allocation of funding compared to other areas like Newark and West Bridgford – what impact will this have on these funds and indeed promises you made to these residents in Nottinghamshire back in May?"

Nigel Stevenson, the service director for finance, procurement and improvement at the County Council said: "I take your points entirely Councillor Waters about the impact on the highways budget and will also have to set out how that funding gap, when we do understand what that gap is, is going to be closed as a consequence."

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Waters said: "It's clear that the mismanagement of this major infrastructure project will cost taxpayers dearly. It's clear that the Conservative Council have to find this money from somewhere and I am disappointed that they couldn't provide any reassurance that promised highways improvements in towns like Hucknall will not be impacted. We will fight tooth and nail to ensure we get what we've promised."