£6 million overspend on Rotherham's market and Wath library scheme to be independently investigated
A report presented to the council earlier this month showed it had gone over budget
Last updated 27th May 2026
A £6 million overspend on Rotherham’s town centre market and Wath library scheme has prompted the council’s chief executive to launch an investigation.
Earlier this May, a report presented in a council meeting showed that the project had gone over budget.
The library scheme increased by £2m to £12m, with the estimated cost for the full project rising by £6m to almost £47m.
The higher costs are largely due to an increase in demolition costs, after unidentified significant levels of asbestos were found on the project sites
There were also extra costs due to more extensive design work, contract negotiations, and inflation.
Councillors prompted the chief executive, John Edwards, to launch an independently commissioned investigation into the increased costs.
A new statement from Rotherham Council said:
“The Chief Executive has commenced the commissioning of an independent investigation. It is expected that the investigation will be completed within a small number of months, after which the Chief Executive will report as appropriate to the relevant Council committee.”
This is the second time that costs have increased for the project from the initial budget of £31.7m, after the council asked for a £6.5m bailout in June 2025.