Pay proposal for tram woe

Published on Thursday 26 January 2012 12:07

AN “earn-back” scheme for top public-sector staff would have helped problems with Edinburgh’s tram project, a leading economist has told MSPs.

Will Hutton has proposed that executives place an element of their pay, around ten per cent, “at risk”, to be earned back each year if they achieved pre-arranged objectives.

Mr Hutton said: “If the people involved in [the trams] put part of their pay at risk certainly they wouldn’t have earned that part of their money back.”

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Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head

Monday, January 30, 2012 at 02:24 PM

Sarah: I was picking up on what you said about the problems nto coming to light until later in the day. I was just saying that I saw them coming right from the start. Didn't mean to upset you! ...... I think that the ONLY thing that can be done to stop this kind of thing happening again is to radically change the laws governing who can stand for political office and for how long they can be in office. The fundamental problem is that our city (and country) is being run by "career politicians" who concern themselves only with getting re-elected and nothing else. As a result of this, they eagerly follow all of the crackpot advice given to them by minority (but significant) groups with an axe to grind.... Lets build a bloody great railway track through the streets of Edinburgh and run a 19th century transport system on it. Yeah. Great idea. Even more great an idea when the final cost comes in at a billion quid for about a quarter of what was planned, making it only of use to 1% of the population........ The problem is one of politicians. If they weren't so looney then we wouldn't have crazy schemes like this. Unfortunately, changing it is not going to be simple.

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Jolly

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 10:04 AM

Danielrober 6 I agree 100%.

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Danielrober2

Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 06:56 PM

Is it not outrageous that the SNP government lack the skill of a professional City Mayor. I suggest that the SNP be sent on training courses in how to be a government before they waste another couple of billion. Not been able to deliver on a piece of technology, which has already existed in the great capital city of Edinburgh is just silly. No doubt when officials go to conferences they must were the hat saying that they have the most technically stupid leader. ....................... Now the SNP have killed off TIE, whos next for the chopping block for these guys who cannot even build a piece of Edwardian technology. Poor Alec. S a failed Banker, who has to hide behind the courts to ensure we all do not find out just how involved he was in destroying Edinburgh great Banking organisation of the RBS.

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The Diplomat

Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 03:11 PM

Who other than Will Hutton regards Will Hutton as a top economist? Given that his Scottish links ended when he left Bishopton for England when he was 8, he seems ill-equipped to advise the Sottish Parliament. Sounds like yet another "told you so" pundits crawling out of the tram debacle.

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SarahB

Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 02:27 PM

Fuel Head (3) - I have just answered your post on the parking levy story and see that you are being equally patronising there. I have been quite a longstanding poster on the tram stories and am surprised that you seem unaware of the fact that, like you, I thought this project was extremely high risk from the start. I make no excuses for the tram project - you are right, it has been riddled with lies and incompetence - but that is not the point. The point is what can be done to stop this sort of thing happening again? If you answer me, I would really appreciate a more reasonable tone.

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Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head

Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 01:46 PM

#1: Sarah, stop trying to make excuses for this farce. The tram project was ill-conceived. It should never have been started. Somehow I managed to predict, before a single sovel had been taken to the streets of Edinburgh, that this project would come in at around a billion pounds, would not be completed to the original spec and wouldn't be running before 2015. If you don't believe I said that then look at the archives of these pages. ...... I didn't even have access to all the information and I was most certainly not associated with the project or the decision making (and never will be). How come then, that this was all so obvious that I could work it out? And if I could work it out then those associated with the project must CERTAINLY have known. ....... As far as the pay goes, these proposals are quite insignificant. They routinely lie about progress and objectives in these kinds of projects. What's to stop them lying their way around being able to award those involved their full rate of pay? Please don't be so niave that you don't see that side of it.

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Danielrober2

Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 12:51 PM

A good idea, the problem is the any government can just change the goal posts. The original bid put forward, by the consortium as a Tram network is now just a single and very expensive line. No one is held accountable because the Holyrood Government is not interested and Edinburgh Council can no longer ask for help from Westminster. Policies mean little, if Ministers care little or are uninterested. ................................ It is a huge flaw in current devolution where local councils can be cut off and isolated, from accessing help available elsewhere in the UK, by Scots Government Ministers.

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SarahB

Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 12:29 PM

The trouble is that they probably would have earned their money back anyway because (a) the full extent of the problems did not come to light until long after they received the cash; and (b) the Council internally knew that there were huge problems with TIE for years but could not admit that publicly, either for fear of criticism or of conceding to the contractors that they had justifiable claims. A clawback scheme could only work if the money was being put in a pot for distribution after completion of the project and, even then, the salariesbonuses of the major culprits were so generous that they probably wouldn't have bothered too much about the loss of 10%.

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