City faces backlash from public over trams

THE number of Edinburgh residents who think the council is doing a good job has plunged as city chiefs face a backlash over the embattled tram project.

The city council's own survey revealed the disruption caused by the project had severely dented the authority's overall "approval rating" which now stands at just 38 per cent, compared with 56 per cent two years ago. Nearly one in ten residents said they wanted to get rid of the trams altogether.

Council leader Jenny Dawe today admitted the survey results were "frustrating", but insisted that the project would deliver a transport network fit for a capital city.

The latest six-monthly Edinburgh Resident Survey, which questioned more than 1,000 people in April and May, found 92 per cent of people were satisfied with the Capital as a place to live – a slight drop from the 95 per cent recorded in spring last year.

But when asked whether they were satisfied with the way the council is running the city, 37 per cent said they were not – up from 21 per cent two years ago.

Asked the main reason for their dissatisfaction, people put trams well ahead of any other concern.

"General mismanagement and high council tax" was the second biggest gripe, and when people were quizzed on how the quality of life in the city could be improved, nine per cent answered "get rid of trams" or "stop wasting money on trams".

Nineteen per cent of people said improving public transport was most important for boosting quality of life. Better road surfaces, more youth clubs and fewer roadworks were each mentioned by eight per cent.

The survey report says it is clear transport, traffic and road maintenance are the main issues for residents.

Councillor Dawe said: "There's a very sharp contrast with how the public feels about the construction work compared to the high satisfaction levels with specific services and the growing body of awards and accolades the city continues to receive.

"The conclusion we draw is that people view the whole council in the light of their frustrations about the disruption caused by what is a massive construction project, combined with the misunderstanding that we're using Edinburgh's money on that instead of other services.

"The results are frustrating but we know that other cities with similar ambitions, such as Dublin, have experienced the same difficulties and come through them.

"The facts are that the trams will help to create a transport network fit for a capital city and that we have saved millions of pounds in the last two years while still preserving frontline services."

In a section of the survey on the city centre, satisfaction had fallen since spring 2007 on "access by public transport", "quality of streets, buildings and public spaces" and "ease of getting around".

But it had also dropped for "range of shops" and "quality of public facilities, eg toilets".

On crime, just 84 per cent said they felt safe walking the streets during the day – down from 90 per cent two years ago.