Following on from this post, EBUG has now received answers to its questions from Labour. These have been added to the answers from the Greens and the Liberal Democrats received in February.
See all three sets of answers at: https://edinburghbususers.group/ebug-council-election-event
As we all know, money is tight among Councils. In Edinburgh and elsewhere, aspirations to improve bus services compete for funding with other worthwhile services. Bus routes, of course, operate on a commercial basis. But the infrastructure they use, the roads, the bus stops, almost everything that doesn’t move, is the Council’s responsibility; as is providing socially necessary services which can’t break even.
So how can the Council maximise funding for improvements?
One source is ‘Section 75’ funding. Section 75 payments are funds secured from developers to pay for facilities needed because of the development; such as improved transport, school buildings etc. So if a developer builds new houses, or offices, the Council can secure payments to cover the cost of public transport improvements needed to serve the development.
We wondered how the City of Edinburgh Council uses this mechanism. So we lodged a Freedom of Information request with the Council, asking how much Section 75 money it had secured to improve bus services.
The FOI request revealed that, between 2015 and 2022, CEC secured a total of £84,230,232 in Section 75 payments.
Ahead of the Council election in May, instead of a ‘live hustings’, EBUG sent our members’ questions to the political parties currently on the City of Edinburgh Council. We sent the questions to the parties’ Transport Spokespersons on 1 February, requesting replies by 18 February.
The questions are anonymised, the replies are unedited. Here’s what we received:
Dear EBUG member,
This is the fourth of our occasional updates for members. Due to the current pandemic and its knock-on consequences, activity has been minimal. As you’ll know, bus services have been reduced to a skeleton service. Continue reading “Members’ Bulletin 4”
Dear EBUG member,
This is the third of our occasional updates for members on recent developments of particular interest. Continue reading “Members’ Bulletin 3”
