A DECISION on whether or not to reject nearly £1m of government money to build a travellers' transit site in Southampton has been deferred until tomorrow.

This is when all 48-city councillors will have a chance to vote on the matter.

Rejection would help to seal the fate of the Monks Brook location in Swaythling. Planning permission was narrowly granted last month for a 12-caravan transit site.

However, the ruling Conservative party had hoped to scupper the controversial plan condemned by many local residents amid concerns about speed limits, queuing caravans, falling house prices and relocating protected slow worms.

The Conservatives had hoped to reject the £997,000 government funding for the Monks Brook site and not go-ahead with building the transit site, saving the council £736,000 towards the project's highways costs, by taking a unanimous decision at the all-party Cabinet meeting yesterday.

But a motion proposed by Labour councillor Jacqueline Rayment means the decision will now be in the hands of councillors from all three parties at a full council meeting tomorrow.