A COUNCILLOR has angrily claimed he was misled about the cost of the Tories’ controversial Shoebury seawall.

Labour Southend councillor Julian Ware-Lane said he only backed the previous administration’s plans for a 7ft earth bank at Shoebury Common last year because he was told it was the cheapest option.

The Lib Dem, Labour, and Independent joint administration elected in May put the plans on hold and asked consultant Mott McDonald to review the options The review has since shown the Tory scheme was the second most expensive option.

During a furious exchange at a council meeting on Monday, the Milton ward councillor said: I’m appalled. I feel I’ve been misled.”

To this, the council officer responsible, head of place Andy Lewis replied: “I don’t believe so. The financial analysis is very complex.”

Mott McDonald estimates the scheme would have cost £5million to build and £34.4million to maintain in the long term.

Mr Ware-Lane said “The numbers don’t add up from a year ago. The reason I voted for it was because I was told it was the most cost-effective.”

Despite being more expensive, Mott McDonald still ranked the scheme the best of seven options, on technical, economic, and environmental grounds. However, the report also weighed the scheme’s overwhelming unpopularity – 2,000 people objected it during consultations, with just four supporting it.

Independent Martin Terry, councillor responsible for public protection, said the review had “wiped the slate clean”, allowing the council to find an acceptable scheme.

He added: “The scheme put forward by the last administration was technically feasible, but then so was the poll tax. It was overwhelmingly unpopular.”

Tory councillors raised concerns at the meeting that the reviewwould delay the work until 2018, putting Shoebury at risk.

However, council leader Ron Woodley said it had always been part of the coastline plan to have new defences in place by 2019, and he did not want to rush the project.