Work on bringing the Grade II listed building in Market Hill in line with Disability Discrimination Act requirements was anticipated to be £247,000.

But at the latest town hall and Corn Exchange management committee meeting, councillors admitted that the scheme is now likely to cost £273,000 – an overspend of £26,000.
"Unforeseen costs" that have sent the cost soaring include replacing carpets, repairing broken floorboard joists, connecting a new telephone system and installing gas central heating.

However, despite the overspend, an assurance has been made that the five-month scheme is on schedule and is due to be completed in mid-December.
Committee chairman Cllr Ryan Fuller said: "We are never happy to go over budget, but none of it could be helped unfortunately. The committee was not happy but accepted the situation because the town hall is a listed building.

"There was unforeseen work that needed to be done that could not have been predicted until work started."
In June, councillors agreed to take £40,000 from a fund to expand the Norris Museum and a further £10,000 from reserves to meet the cost of the scheme.

The committee has now made a recommendation to full council, which meets next month, that the overspend be met by general reserves during the current financial year, before being dealt with in next year's budget.
Once completed, the project will see the relocation of council offices to the ground floor, the installation of a lift and disabled-friendly toilets.

Cllr Fuller added: "The town hall makes a profit for the council every year and this work will increase that. It will be a while before we make back up what will be lost, but the town hall will be profitable for a long time."

He also revealed that the council was launching a review of the town hall's running costs with a view to boosting revenue.
Conservative Cllr Jason Ablewhite said he supported the ongoing project but questioned the Independent administration's proposed expenditure on St Ives' Corn Exchange when big projects, such as the town hall, were going over budget.

He said: "The Corn Exchange is the one thing which is not a legal obligation of the council and you should prioritise what you need to do first."
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