Private finance urged for new Forth crossing
ALEX Salmond's economic advisers have urged him to use private finance to pay for the new Forth Road Bridge.
The Council of Economic Advisers has warned the Scottish Government should think again about its preferred option of using public money for the 2 billion project.
Chairman Sir George Mathewson said he shared the SNP's distaste for private finance initiatives.
But he said: "In the short term, in our view, and given the restriction limiting the Scottish Government's capacity to borrow, the Scottish Government can and will have to take advantage of opportunities to achieve the maximum freedom it can within the existing situation."
The new Forth crossing will be the country's biggest ever infrastructure project.
A Scottish Government spokesman insisted public finance remained at the centre of the plan, saying: "Our position remains that we will pay for the Forth crossing using public funds."
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