Interactive: Let the private sector take over the whole tram project

Do you think the private sector would have made a better job of getting tram project going?

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Evening News, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS

IN RECENT articles in the Evening News, it was stated that only 18 per cent of the infrastructure work on the Council's tram scheme has been completed, but 66 per cent of the budget has already been spent.

Deadlock between the council and the contractors was reported. Is it time for the council to cut its losses before the situation gets even worse?

The private sector has already offered to build and operate a tramway, at no cost to the council, and was given the brush-off.

Perhaps it is time for the council to swallow its pride and get these people in to finish the project off then operate it.

If they are able to do it then the council will be in a far better position than it is now, as there will be a working tramway and costs will have been limited.

David Hansen, Clark Road, Inverkeithing

On the right tracks with Abba musical

A RECENT suggestion I heard, that the tram could be used as a Fringe venue, is an excellent idea.

Trama Mia! could explore the tram fiasco to the popular soundtrack of Abba songs.

Hits such as Winner takes it all, Money, Money, Money and SOS would hardly need rewriting.

Such a show would be a real money-spinner and could run and run (which is more than could be said of the trams).

JS Morrison, The Promenade, Portobello

CCTV system is proving effective

IN RESPONSE to your article on CCTV on 15 June which highlighted a fault in a camera covering the area near where Suzanne Pilley disappeared, footage from the camera in question was in fact provided to the police from 8am to 10pm on 4 May.

There was a minor fault with the camera, but this did not affect the quality of the footage in any way.

On 4 May all 30 of the city centre cameras were operational. The police have also refuted your claim that this may have impeded their investigation.

Your story gives a false impression that many of our CCTV cameras have been rendered useless due to faults, whereas in fact even when a fault is logged in a particular camera, I must stress, this does not mean loss of coverage.

The George Street camera, contrary to your suggestion, has been operational since February 2009 and has provided the police with 35 evidence packages to be used in prosecutions.

CCTV is extremely effective – in 2008 alone 1,475 arrests were made in connection with incidents monitored by them. It is because of this that we work closely with a designated contractor to keep them in working order.

Edinburgh is a safe city and is getting safer with reported crime falling steadily for the past seven years.

Susan Mooney, Head of Community Safety

No investment in public housing

THERE'S no investment in public housing for people who can't afford to buy. When you try to communicate your frustration to anybody in public authority they don't want to know, which means that they don't recognise that their policies create frustration.

They are responsible for the frustration that people feel.

In England the minister for housing, Grant Shapps, has said that he wants to target authorities that are willing to build houses and give them funding. The same should be true in Scotland.

In Edinburgh there are 27,000 people on the waiting list for housing.

I'm one of them – I've been on the list for nearly nine years.

I'm not going to get a house by the time I'm 65. What does that tell you about Edinburgh?

Martin Adams, North Bughtlin Brae, Edinburgh

The patron saint of Eurovision contest

IF SCOTLAND is going to enter the Eurovision Song Contest in our own right as some people have suggested, St Andrew's Day would be an appropriate time to announce our nominated entry.

Andrew JT Kerr, Castlegate, Jedburgh