Jenny Dawe calls for public report into Edinburgh tram woes

Published on Friday 12 March 2010 09:29

CITY leader Jenny Dawe has pledged to come clean over the city's tram scheme by ordering full details to be made public.

Councillor Dawe called for the detailed progress report in the wake of revelations that the crisis-hit project may yet end up more than 100 million over budget and three years late.

But she laughed off criticism of the project by her deputy Steve Cardownie, saying he had a mouth "like a runaway tram".

Cllr Dawe admitted she wanted to provide clarity on the project, its costs and schedule, and would publish information in consultation with tram firm TIE.

It comes after it emerged that contractor Bilfinger Berger had suggested the project could not now be completed until 2014.

Today there were also calls for an independent audit by Audit Scotland into the trams scheme from Indepedent MSP Margo MacDonald and SNP MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville.

Cllr Dawe said: "There is a lot of misinformation out there and information gets into the public domain through a series of leaks.

"I wouldn't want to jeopardise the negotiations but there needs to be something definitive.

"It is incredibly frustrating to not be able to speak in detail. Every time there is a glitch – like when Bilfinger were refusing to go on to Princes Street – we want to speak, but if they know TIE's hands it will give them an advantage."

Long-standing tram critic Cllr Cardownie told the Evening News yesterday that the city could end up with a tram line fit for just "three men and their ferret" amid fears only part of the route will be built.

Cllr Dawe dismissed opposition suggestions that his comments undermined the project. She added: "It is the sort of throwaway remark he would make. I think trying to stop Steve Cardownie is like trying to stop a runaway tram. But he doesn't want the project to cost more than it has to."

Cllr Andrew Burns, leader of the Labour group on the council, said that the split in the Liberal Democrat/SNP coalition was in itself damaging.

He said: "It is a serious lack of judgement by Cllr Dawe to just laugh this off as 'it's just Steve'.

"This is a huge infrastructure project and the division at the heart of the City Chambers is undermining the project and adding to the cost."

Sources have told the Evening News that at least 375m of the 545m budget has already been spent, with huge amounts of work still to do.

It also emerged Bilfinger claimed the project was facing a further 100m in additional costs, with tram bosses "in denial" about the shortfall.

Cllr Cardownie welcomed plans for an update report.

He said: "I want to know exactly where we are in terms of cost and what's been spent so far.

"I also want to know what weight is being given to suggestions that we could just end up with the route being phased in."

No-one from TIE wished to comment.