I REFER to your article on the runaway costs of the Pimhole redevelopment project, and the additional £500,000 on top of the £392,000 given last September, when the original costings was £10.9 million. It is now running at £11.8 million.

It is quite apparent after the debacle of the Ramsbottom Library being under-estimated and the poor project management, costing the council tax payer an additional £700,000, and the selling of the Lowry painting to help pay for the library. It is quite obvious the standard of estimating and project management is well below what would be expected in both the private and government and local government circles. These projects appear to be too large for these people to control without putting additional burden on the over-taxed council tax payer.

The method of estimating the project is not estimating but guess making and what is known in the profession as Dart Board Method of Estimating', otherwise there would be no need for the additional funding of £392,000 and £500,000.

Cllrs Gartside and Campbell are concerned that this extra funding is going to increase the council tax by one per cent and that it is difficult to predict the extra cost of such a scheme. This is just not on. There should be a joint investigation so that this type of does not mean the council tax payer has to stand these sorts of additional costs.

Thomas Rudd, Dover Close, Greenmount