Tram chiefs to spend £75,000 a year on staff to help traders

Published on Friday 4 February 2011 13:50

TRAM bosses are set to spend £75,000 a year hiring staff to work with embattled traders continuing to suffer as a result of the works.

Three town centre co-ordinators will be employed by Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce in positions funded by tram firm TIE to help small businesses overcome the difficulties associated with the project. The positions are being advertised despite all tram work in the city centre being suspended due to a long-running dispute between TIE and its German contractor, Bilfinger Berger.

TIE said the staff, who will be split between the West End, city centre and Leith, would help traders deal with the uncertainty currently surrounding the project. Mandy Haeburn-Little, head of customer service and communications director for the tram project, said: "These roles build on the very successful Open for Business campaign which has been running over the last three years.

"This has included practical business advice, branding initiatives, winter celebrations, and graffiti clean-ups as well as marketing and press campaigns, spa events and fashion shows.

"Never has it been more important to show our support to the business community and ensure their needs are met. These roles will ensure we continue to promote the uniqueness of these areas, providing hands-on technical advice and maintaining awareness of the long-term benefits of tram."

Alan Rudland, chairman of the Leith Business Association, welcomed the new roles, but said: "There's a degree of uncertainty about what's happening with the project. It's going to be 20-30 years before development at the waterfront gets back to the levels predicted and it could be 30 years before we see a tram in Leith. I don't think they will get the trams past St Andrew Square, and they will bust the budget big style trying to do that."

Hopes for the future of the project now lie with mediation talks, which are set to begin in March. TIE has steadfastly refused to reveal details of the talks, which new council chief executive Sue Bruce is expected to lead.

A TIE spokesman said: "While we understand that there is a lot of interest generated by the mediation process, we cannot discuss it currently as both ourselves, the council and the consortium signed up to a confidentiality clause in order to give mediation the best possible chance of success."