A controversial Carlisle crossing cost tax payers £16,000 - after its budget overran.

The News & Star can reveal that while the majority of the funding for the project - which cost £413,995 - was provided by Sainsbury’s under the terms of a section 106 agreement for its Caldewgate store, a further £37,913 from public finances was not enough to meet the overall cost.

A document sent to members of the city council’s resources overview and scrutiny panel, which has been seen by the News & Star, says that the £16,632 shortfall was covered by the city council from an underspend in “other related budgets”.

The authority has defended its decision, stating that it always wanted to deliver the crossing and the fact that extra money was required had been communicated to its members.

A spokeswoman said: “Projects occasionally come in over or under budget estimates after tendering, and chief officers have delegated authority as defined in our constitution in order to deliver the wishes of the council.

“In this instance, the overspend of approximately £16,000 represents four per cent of the total cost of the scheme. This activity has been properly and publicly reported to members and there is nothing extraordinary about this.

“The will of the council to deliver the crossing was clear and it is from council that officers take their direction.”

Plans for the crossing were heavily backed by Elsie Martlew, a former city councillor for Castle ward. She said that she was not aware that extra money had been pumped into the scheme.

“Under my watch, everything was costed,” she said. “I didn’t know that the city council had put more money in, so it comes as a surprise to me.”

Despite this, Mrs Martlew still believes creating the crossing was the right thing to do - and that feedback has been positive.

She added: “The feedback from the city centre business group has been well-received. I’ve seen people using the crossing every day.

"People said it will cause traffic problems, but I’ve stopped at the lights and you’re only waiting about eight seconds, it’s no great upheaval.

“The other thing is, it’s not just taking people to the castle, it’s also people going down to Bitts Park, which is a big benefit during the summer holidays.”

However the crossing has attracted fierce criticism from members of the public, with a petition calling on the plans to be scrapped gaining more than 1,300 signatures.

James Bainbridge, a Conservative city councillor for Stanwix Rural, said that the money should have been spent elsewhere.

He said: “The sad thing is, when I found out the crossing had cost Carlisle City Council £400,000 and even then went over budget, I wasn't even surprised.

"Just because a chunk of the money came from Sainsbury's doesn't resolve the need to spend it wisely. Now we have a bridge, a crossing and an underpass.

"One almost fears what bright idea they will come up with next."

He added: "Personally speaking I think there is greater need to tackle the congestion at the roundabout by the Carr's factory. I think the money could have been better spent there."