Taxpayers footed a legal bill of almost £2 million connected to Edinburgh City Council’s defence of their tram construction project - your views online

"And the way things are going with the new extension it will be the same. All that money wasted on court fee etc and for what?”

Legal high

Taxpayers footed a previously secret legal bill of almost £2 million connected to Edinburgh City Council’s defence of their botched tram construction project during the city’s tram inquiry

Jon Clark

After spending £2m just in legals fees, never mind the other £millions in costs of the inquiry, there is still noreport delivered about what happened with the Phase 1 trams. So why did any elected councillor approve the building of Phase 2 without the results of the inquiry? Because they know when the people of Edinburgh find out what really went on with Phase 1 there may be serious uproar and heads will have to roll for it. That’s why they are delaying it as long as possible and that’s why they been building Phase 2 before anyone can say stop this madness now.

John Orr

To be fair, £2m doesn’t go as far as you’d think in legal costs. At £200/hour, that buys you a team of five, working full-time for a year. Given the complexity of the case, that doesn’t sound completely unreasonable.

William Manson

Aye, something of real use to the whole city. Trams going from one shopping centre to an other. How much would we get for scrap? I hear the tram cars are coming to end of life.

Brenda Barclay

And the way things are going with the new extension it will be the same. All that money wasted on court fee etc and for what? Just to line some top notch lawyers’ pockets.

Graeme Robertson

Yeah, £2m plus the rest - just call it £10m.

Wendy Bell

More wasted money from Edinbugh council transport department. Trams and Spaces for People are costing millions.

Ian Munro

You forgot to mention that despite costing more than twice the original budget, only part of the line was completed.That unfinished part is now being completed with yet another massive budget and before the results of the inquiry have been published.

Irene Griffiths Yeoman

The way I see it the inquiry was useless. Spending more money when the horse had already bolted. The public could have done a better job and at no cost.

Wood stock

Forest to be planted next to Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary as thanks to NHS workers

Dean Davidson

Lovely gesture and I’m all for the forest, but why not keep the forest and give the value of the cost spread out to all the NHS staff? Some trees are £40k plus.

Jeff Zimmer

Undoubtedly NHS staff deserve better pay and fair parking conditions, but this project is not part of the ERI campus (it's "next to" it), is not an NHS-funded project and is funded by independent charities whose mission is to plant trees and create space to explore links between health and the environment.

Mags Pryde

I think if they asked the staff, the last thing they would say they needed was a forest. A free staff car park might be high on the list, not a place for vandals and sex pests to hang out.

Gill Henderson

Sorry, but the last thing the planet needs is more flippin parking. Great that the trees are being planted! We need trees to live! In case people haven't noticed, we have cleared so many green spaces for development, this is much needed... far more than any car park.

Lisa Thomson

That'll be to suck up all the water from the floods in the area that were there for years before the hospital. Good idea to give the nurses the credit.

Kirsty Leslie

We'd rather have more parking!

Graeme Laing

A much better salary would be more welcome.

Tracey Henry

There’s already a forest around the castle and behind the school.

Doreen Mcfadyen

Suggest a large car park instead. The NHS are doing a superb job, but there is a shortage of parking and it would be safer for the medical staff walking back to hospital. Perhaps if it was put to the vote for nurses to decide.

Betty O'day

Look at the response, listen to the people.No one goes to a hospital for a day out, it's for working or to visit someone. Let's make their life a wee bit easier – free parking.

Paul Watson

Scrapping the parking charges for NHS staff will make them a lot happier.

Kevin James Dickson

They had better get the little darlings sorted first, as the delinquents have set three fires in the last week at Little France park.