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Sunday, 6th December 2009

Trust will advise on bridge

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Published Date: 17 September 2009
THE Scottish Futures Trust has been drafted in to help the government team working on the £2 billion new Forth bridge, The Scotsman can reveal.
The move came as the Scottish Chambers of Commerce demanded the SNP government confirm the bridge will be built.

SNP ministers have asked the quango to use its in-house expertise to provide an alternative view. This is despite transport minister Stewart Stevenson claiming last year the bridge was "too big" for the SFT. The revelation came in an interview with of SFT chief executive Barry White with The Scotsman, in which it also emerged that he was one of those who advised the Scottish Government had a contingent liability for the project.

This means tendering costs of up to £10 million would be paid back to the successful bidder if the project fell through.






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  • Last Updated: 16 September 2009 11:52 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Forth Bridges
 
1

Age of Reason,

Aberdeen 17/09/2009 05:55:54
This is very generous of us? We are seriously proposing to indemnify biddrs up to £10m EACH to bid on a job which will be guaranteed them a profit. BUT The Project has no Business Case, NO Budget and NO Proven need. The existing customers have a serviceable facility, and the growth will only result from the artificial increase caused by providing surplus capacity, at Taxpayers' cost. Very few of these taxpayers will see a net benefit - I for one have no problem crossing the Forth, and had no problem with paying the reasonable toll that used to be levied and which would have nicely provided the cash to chuck at these Bidders
2

Group Captain Lionel Mandrake,

17/09/2009 07:12:40
SFT is "advising" on the Bridge project?

Who exactly are the individuals providing this "advice", since its staff are all seconded civil servants? Couldn't they have "advised" from their old desks?

How much is the taxpayer paying SFT for this "advice"?

How much private money has SFT raised so far, since that it is its core purpose?

Where are the "Scottish Futures Bonds" promised in the Nat manifesto?

Were Salmond and Swinney too stupid to realise SFT was unworkable when they wrote that manifesto?

Or are they just liars?
3

mr broon,

Edinburgh 17/09/2009 08:52:37
Instead of posing readers with a series of boring, interminable questions, why does Rear Gunner Manuel Duckworth not just write to the Nationalist administration for these answers?

4

Ben Thehoose,

30/11/2009 16:27:12
I trust the trust will revisit all the alternatives to the bridge, demanding accurate costings, before reaching any conclusion.

 

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