Not given a straightforward answer to question

IS it possible for the council to give a straight answer to a simple question?

In my letter to the Tele I asked what the total cost of ownership was of an electric vehicle (EV) versus a similarly sized petrol vehicle. The reply was the council has a detailed and stringent procurement process to deliver best value.

Of that I would like to have no doubt, given how expensive our council tax is, but I presume that process only applies if you are comparing like for like from suppliers, not if it would work out cheaper to purchase a petrol vehicle?

The spokesman also said the economic and environmental case for fleet operators was proven over the last three years. He didn’t explain what that means in layman’s terms as regards the bottom line, ie cost of one type of vehicle versus another? I appreciate the environmental case but I’ don’t understand the economic one.

Finally the spokesman when stating it’s not compulsory that a taxi should be electric seems unfamiliar with current licencing policy which states any applications for new taxi licences would only be granted on the condition only an EV from the approved list of four can be placed on service.

That being the case how many of the 28 non-council new EV registrations in 2017 were new grant taxi/private hire licences who had no other choice but to place one of these vehicles on the road?

Ian Fraser.