Letters: Tram project saga will drag on . . until money runs out

ACCORDING to Jenny Dawe the report on the future of the trams has been delayed due to negotiations with the contractor taking longer than expected (News, September 10).

These negotiations have been ongoing since at least February 2009 when it all kicked off publicly, so what's changed? It seems the more the council wants to delay having to decide to finally stop this money pit of a scheme the more it finds excuses to drag it along ever further.

Please put us out of our misery and return the city to 'normal', albeit with some white elephant structures and small stretches of track in place. This isn't far away, as it seems the 500 million or so at the council's disposal is about to finally run dry. This may be the only thing that will finally make the council and TIE curtail the trams for good. I look forward to some very red faces when this happens!

Peter Chalmers, Farne Court, Kirkcaldy, Fife

Axing Blindcraft won't save much

CLOSING Blindcraft may save Edinburgh City Council money (News, September 10), but looking at the 'public purse' as a whole savings will be limited – maybe even non existent!

If the workers at Blindcraft are made redundant they will be very unlikely to find other employment. Last time the organisation was 'downsized', despite efforts, only a handful of people were found other jobs. Now in the midst of recession alternative job prospects are even less likely.

Blindcraft has some large contracts for example with universities for their halls of residence. But sometimes they miss out on the tendering process because they are a bit more expensive than competitors.

The Government should make 'social value' part of the criteria when judging tenders. That shouldn't mean paying any price, but taking this into account as one of the factors – especially in a case when the Government will be saving far more by enabling these employees to stay in work.

Sheila Gilmore, MP for Edinburgh East

Shame woman got no support

I WRITE to you with sadness after reading your report describing a poor woman with her child being subjected to a torrent of racial abuse by some pathetic man on a number 29 bus (News, September 10).

It saddened me that no other passenger on the bus showed any support to this woman.

I understand the fear people have and don't want to get involved in case of being attacked themselves. However, I would like to think if I'd been on the same bus, I would have gone and sat next to that woman and offered her company to get off the bus and make sure she got safely on another one.

As a mother of two young children, and someone who needs to regularly use public transport, I can imagine how much more difficult her life will become because she is now too scared to go on another bus.

Jill Wight, Edinburgh

Leith shops in the shadow of past

I READ Leith was ranked the tenth worst town out of 1400 in the UK for shopping (News, September 10). I'm amazed it was rated as good as that.

Fifty years ago, you had no need to go outside Leith to buy anything.

There was our very own department store in Great Junction Street, namely the Co-op, then the smaller one in Tolbooth Wynd, Jefferies'.

There was a choice of four good quality gents tailors, seven shoe shops, an abundance of butchers, bakers, radio, TV and electrical premises, bicycles, prams, Spence & Spence for cutlery and kitchen equipment, shops for china/table ware, outlets for bed linen and curtains, furniture, Ards record store, jewellers, three good gents outfitters, you name it, Leith had it.

The days of the Co-op as a supplier of all goods and services have long gone, but why was their beautiful building with its majestic clock tower in Great Junction Street not preserved and bought over by a major private department store company?

It could have been the flagship store of the area.

Frank Ferri, Newhaven Main Street, Edinburgh