Spending Public Money
The Accounts Commission for Scotland and Audit Scotland - have just released a report on the future of Edinburgh's trams.
The upshot is that they asking the Scottish Government to consider stepping in - to try and rescue the ailing project via Transport Scotland - the government's national transport agency.
Some of the key points in the report are:
Utilities diversion works are 97 per cent complete and almost three-quarters of the tram vehicles have been purchased.
But due to the contractual dispute - between Edinburgh City Council and the contractor - only 28 per cent of infrastructure work has been completed.
The actual target was for 99% of infrastructure work to be completed - by the end of December 2010.
So far, £402 million of the total budget has been spent on Phase 1a - which is intended to run from Edinburgh Airport to Leith Waterfront.
£402 million represents 74 per cent of the total funding budget currently available - with only 28% of the infrastructure completed.
The total approved budget is £545 million - which means that the project will not be completed within the agreed terms of reference.
So when politicians insist that public money is being well spent - take what they say with a great big pinch of salt.
The upshot is that they asking the Scottish Government to consider stepping in - to try and rescue the ailing project via Transport Scotland - the government's national transport agency.
Some of the key points in the report are:
Utilities diversion works are 97 per cent complete and almost three-quarters of the tram vehicles have been purchased.
But due to the contractual dispute - between Edinburgh City Council and the contractor - only 28 per cent of infrastructure work has been completed.
The actual target was for 99% of infrastructure work to be completed - by the end of December 2010.
So far, £402 million of the total budget has been spent on Phase 1a - which is intended to run from Edinburgh Airport to Leith Waterfront.
£402 million represents 74 per cent of the total funding budget currently available - with only 28% of the infrastructure completed.
The total approved budget is £545 million - which means that the project will not be completed within the agreed terms of reference.
So when politicians insist that public money is being well spent - take what they say with a great big pinch of salt.
