Labour bid to take wheels off bus boss

Published on Thursday 3 March 2011 16:30

OPPOSITION councillors are set to launch a bid to block the appointment of the new chairman of Lothian Buses after it was revealed he would be based more than 400 miles away.

The city council is set to recommend London-based Chris Walton, a former finance director of easyJet, for the post.

But opposition Labour councillors are considering calling for the post to be re-advertised.

Labour group leader Andrew Burns said: "I do have significant concerns about the appointment of an individual based in London for such a crucial post related to the success of transport in Edinburgh."

However, one insider said Mr Walton was just the latest in a long line of English-based non-executive directors appointed to the boards of both Lothian Buses and tram firm TIE.

The source said: "The Labour group appointed a number of non-executive directors based in the south of England during the late 1990s. That includes three out of four non-executive directors appointed to the board of TIE and at least one to the board of Lothian Buses."

Mr Walton is understood to have been interviewed by councillors from all main parties.

Transport convener Gordon Mackenzie said: "Several applicants did not live in Edinburgh and at no point did anyone on the interview panel suggest that was a problem."

Mr Walton said: "I will be spending as much time as I need to be in Edinburgh. I am there to provide direction, framework and corporate governance."