City admits tram project is a PR disaster

Published on Tuesday 15 February 2011 14:34

CITY chiefs today admitted the tram project has been a PR disaster for Edinburgh.

A new report has revealed that people's satisfaction with nurseries, schools, neighbourhood services and other areas of the council have all improved in the last year, yet overall satisfaction with the way the council runs the city is plummeting.

And Mark Turley, the director put in charge of a project that aims to make the council a top performing UK authority, today blamed the trams for the poor perception people have of the council.

When asked why people's perception of the council is at an all-time low despite surveys suggesting that council services are getting better, Mr Turley said: "The general research suggests that view is attributable to the tram."

However, Mr Turley did say he believes the project will improve the council's reputation in the longer term. "We are about to enter mediation and there is a real sense of determination to bring this to a conclusion." perience from elsewhere shows that people feel pain during construction but begin to appreciate the reason for the pain once the project is up and running."