Today the BSC consortium and Edinburgh Trams have issued a statement after reports that Tie was stalling mediation efforts so that the process would be delayed until after the Scottish Parliamentry Election in May.
The two embattled sides in the prolonged trams dispute issued the following "mutually agreed statement" on the mediation process. In its latest Facebook update, Edinburgh Trams said the statement was made "In an effort to address speculation around mediation and a timetable for talks".
Today's statement says: “The decision to proceed to mediation has been unanimously agreed by both parties and supported fully by the City of Edinburgh Council. We are pleased to report that the first stage of the mediation preparatory work is already underway and the next steps agreed. Both parties are working diligently to ensure that mediation takes place as soon as is practical, it is envisaged that mediation will be complete by mid March 2011."
However, having shown a modicum of openness in sharing this information, the release promised that this was only a brief departure from normal proceedings:
"As both sides have made clear from the outset, the content of the mediation and indeed the various individual steps of the process will necessarily remain strictly confidential. Neither side will be making further comment until there is something to report.”
So we can expect plenty more speculation in coming weeks on what is happening behind those closed doors.
Let's hope that something comes of these talks...
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Tramscendetally speaking
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Trams Mediation
If the City Council wants to win the trust of the citizens of Edinburgh they have a very long way to go. The secretive and underhand way in which they are conducting their business and spending public money is nothing short of a scandal. We need complete openness and someone to have the guts to be prepared to come out in the open and tell everyone why things have gone so wrong. Let the contractors have their say and not be gagged by this pathetic excuse that "commercial interests" will be damaged. This excuse, like the trams business case, is totally pathetic and devious. It is time for a much delayed Public Inquiry and people must be sacked for incompetence.
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You may well speculate but I have been reliably informed that a group of 100 yogis will be floating Edinburgh trams from Edinburgh Airport to St Andrew Square using the power of transcendental meditation at the end of March. My source tells me that this solution (dubbed Plan B: Meditation) is likely to be implemented after mediation talks between tie and the Consortium break down.