THE NATIONAL Assembly has been urged to send in a hit squad to run Wrexham Council after the cost of building the town's two 'superschools' rose by more than £9m.

Wrexham AM John Marek has called for commissioners to take over the beleaguered authority after the rise in costs was revealed, and has tabled a Statement of Opinion at the Assembly demanding the resignation of education minister Jane Davidson for sanctioning the schools shake-up.

He said: 'It's clear the council can't properly oversee its financial affairs. The business plan was clearly unrealistic.'

However, Shan Wilkinson, leader of Wrexham Council, said: 'John's been calling for my resignation since March so there's nothing new in that, but if he's calling for Jane Davidson to go too, then I'm in very good company. There's been no financial mishandling.'

The teacher's union Wrexham NASUWT says it accepts part of the overspend was due to circumstances beyond the control of the authority, but has urged the council to honour its promises over what the two 'superschools' will contain.

Paul Davies, Wrexham secretary of the NASUWT said: 'I am very surprised that the original survey did not reveal, after many years of under-investment and benign neglect, that the buildings and some facilities at St David's and Bryn Offa schools were in a state of serious disrepair.'

Wrexham MP Ian Lucas has also slammed the final bill of £21.3m as a 'shambles', and added: 'What is most important is that the two new schools are delivered to Wrexham as promised - it would be a breach of trust for a scaled-down project to be brought forward now. Both staff and children are doing their best in a difficult situation and they should not be subjected to this sort of uncertainty. It is a disgrace.

'I am absolutely appalled the projected cost of the project has almost doubled from £12m to £20m in the space of just over a year. Still worse, councillors were told by officers as recently as May of this year that the estimated project costs remained unchanged.'

He added 'I know from the conclusions of an independent investigation by the council that officers were aware of costs being out of control as early as autumn 2002 and by spring of 2003, an overspend was happening. I think councillors have had the wool pulled over their eyes.'