SNP in refusal to sit on tram body

Published on Tuesday 2 August 2011 16:08

THE Capital's SNP councillors have been accused of acting like "Pontius Pilate" after refusing to sit on a body set up to oversee the tram project.

The city's economic development leader, Councillor Tom Buchanan, yesterday confirmed that no SNP councillor would sit on the tram sub-committee.

The body, set up to oversee spending on the project, has been much criticised for only meeting a handful of times over the last few years.

The SNP's decision led to accusations that the party was attempting to "wash its hands" of the project.

Lib Dem councillor Gordon Mackenzie, the transport convener, said: "This is political posturing - they don't want to be seen to be touching anything to do with the trams. They seem to be doing the old Pontius Pilate - washing their hands - despite voting for the tram contract in the first place."

Councillor Lesley Hinds, the Labour transport spokeswoman, who has herself refused to sit on the board of tram firm TIE, said she would now recommend her own party did not take up a seat on the committee.

She said: "This is the SNP being petulant and childish yet again. I will be having discussions with the Labour group about why we should sit on the sub-committee when one member isn't willing to cooperate.

"It should be about getting consensus and getting the tram project moving, but the SNP are more worried about the City Centre by-election."

Should Labour also leave the committee, that would leave just the Lib Dems, Tories and Greens overseeing the project, although a wider governance shake-up has already been announced.

A report published on the future of the tram project in June revealed plans to sideline tram firm TIE, with a new Joint Project Forum established, bringing together representatives of all the key parties involved in the delivery of the project and chaired by the council's chief executive.

A new audit committee will also be set up, chaired by council leader Jenny Dawe and attended by both councillors and Transport Scotland.

Cllr Buchanan said: "We took the decision on Monday at our group executive that we would rather leave the committee and allow those who want this project to make decisions about it."

Council officials are currently working on ways of raising an extra 170 million to finance the tram route as far as St Andrew Square.

An update on how the money will be raised is expected in the coming months after councillors voted to build the tram line to the city centre, rejecting proposals to scrap it.