WILTSHIRE County Council has given a consortium until the end of the month to finalise a £140m deal to build new secondary schools in north Wiltshire.
If the deal is not finalised in time it could delay the construction of new schools in Malmesbury and Wootton Bassett by several years.
The contract between the county council and the White Horse Education Partnership was to be finalised in April. But the signing has been delayed by wrangling over the final cost of the project.
The county council's environmental services director Richard Lander said the latest hitch came when the White Horse Education Partnership asked for an increase in its basic annual payment.
Mr Lander said county councillors had decided on Tuesday to offer a smaller amount than requested. They also decided to set a deadline for October 31.
He said officers would have to reconsider the options if the partnership failed to meet the deadline, which could mean putting back the completion date even further for the proposed schools at both Malmesbury and Wootton Bassett.
The schools were to have been completed by next September but are unlikely to open before February 2002.
If there are further delays it could mean money will have to be spent extending and refurbishing the existing schools.
Mr Lander said: "I think the partnership will accept the contract by the end of the month. We are keeping our fingers crossed."
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