Tram travails

Once again our capital city’s panjandrums seem intent on making an early grab for Scotland’s municipal wooden spoon 2017.

On the day it’s revealed that it has incurred an £11 million overspend in the first quarter of the financial year, its Transport & Environment committee approves pushing ahead with a proposal to commit to spending £165m to extend the tram network; this would be debt funded. The much putupon Leith Walk traders are threatened with renewed business disruption.

Generally unnoticed, the council’s March 2017 financial liabilities totalled £2.3bn, excluding £0.2bn of PPP obligations and finance leases. Separately, the pension deficit is £0.7bn. Collectively these are almost 3.5 times the council’s annual income. Far from a position of financial strength.

Lord Hardie’s inquiry has only just reached the oral hearings stage. It’s seeking to establish why the original tram project incurred delays, cost much more than originally budgeted and through reductions in scope, delivered significantly less than projected. The final report is expected to make recommendations as to how future major tram and light rail infrastructure projects of a similar nature might avoid such failures. So, why not wait until this has been published? It is sheer arrogance.

The Snp/labour administration should be concentrating on its existing challenges rather than adding another vanity project. ROBERT MILLER-BAKEWELL

Whiterigg, near Melrose