Edinburgh trams: Council leader pledges no council tax money will be used to expand network

Edinburgh looks to government for funding of new lines

Edinburgh council leader Cammy Day has pledged that council taxpayers' money will not be used to fund new tram lines in the Capital.

With the extension of the current line from the city centre to Newhaven nearing completion, the council has set out ambitious plans to expand the tram network further – to Granton in the north, Newbridge in the west, towards Musselburgh in the east and to the Royal Infirmary and onto Dalkeith in the south. But at Thursday's full council meeting, Lib Dem group leader Kevin Lang asked for an assurance that "not a single penny" of council tax revenue would be spent on the plans.

The Scottish Government's latest national transport strategy blueprint supports expansion of the trams – a marked change from the SNP's attempt to scrap the original project when it first came to power in 2007 - but no funding has yet been earmarked.

Proposed for expanding Edinburgh's tram network will be one of the big decisions ahead for councillors. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

At the council meeting, Cllr Lang said: "One of the big decisions we will need to make in this term of the council is whether to proceed with further extensions to Edinburgh trams. There will be big discussions to be had about routes, location, timetables and funding models. But given the extremely stretched council finances that we have, can I ask the council leader if he is able to give a guarantee that not a single penny of council tax money in Edinburgh will be used to pay for any tram extension?"

Cllr Day said the success of the extension to Newhaven, which the council says is on time and on budget, showed the city could lead major capital infrastructure projects "very well". He said: "The success of the tram, I think, is proven, and the requirement is I think to at least have a discussion about how we get the tram out to the south of the city to feed the BioQuarter, the new Sick Kids, the Royal Infirmary and the many, many thousands of new homes there. It is absolutely something we need to have an honest and frank discussion about.

"The council finances are in a difficult position, so absolutely I would commit that in a business plan coming forward we would look to use fares from trams and I hope support from Transport Scotland, who of course withdrew from the discussions for the first tram. I think the money for a capital infrastructure project of this level needs to come from Transport Scotland and the governments that fund this council, so yes I commit that there should not be council tax money spent on this."