Questions surrounding the cost of the new Welcome to Sheppey sign are likely to remain unanswered.

It was put up on the Island side of the A249 in July after a campaign by Sheppey Tourism Alliance to replace the old one, which vanished when it was taken down in 2005 when work on the Sheppey Crossing started.

We have already reported that the new greeting cost £6,344 and has been paid for by grants of £2,000 each from Cllr Ken Pugh and Cllr Adrian Crowther from their Kent County Council highways fund.

The rest came from Swale council.

But the cost of the sign prompted questions from our readers and Swale Cllr Steve Worrall about how it could cost that much money.

Cllr Worrall hoped to get answers at a council meeting last month but is still waiting for a response.

The Times Guardian asked Swale council, Kent Highways, contractor Carillion and the Highways Agency if they could provide a breakdown of how the £6,344 was spent, but so far we have not had the information.

A spokesman for Swale council said the amount includes more than just the physical cost and also encompasses an element for traffic management as the adjacent lane had to be coned off while the sign was erected.

It is thought about one third of the cost would cover the traffic management.

The spokesman added that the council has yet to receive its invoice from Carillion and even when it does, it is likely to include costs for other works carried out by the company so it may not be possible to provide a complete breakdown for how the cost of the sign was made up.

Cllr Worrall said: “I can’t get that simple information when I was told I would get it. I specifically asked for the cost involved and all I got was the overall amount.

“I’m concerned about it and I now want additional information and have submitted more questions.

“It’s always difficult to get an answer – I can’t believe the sign cost that much.”

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: “There has been a great deal of goodwill behind this sign, and our contractors have waived many of the charges that are normally associated with designing, procuring, manufacturing and installing a new road sign, recognising how important it is to the community that the new A249, which has transformed journeys to and from Sheppey, retains the Island’s welcoming spirit.”

A spokesman for Carillion explained that the costs were not only for the installation but also the design of the sign which included a groundworks assessment, wind loading calculations, temporary work associated with the type and location of base required for that sign, as well as traffic management.