Guided bus project will be Late, Expensive and Incomplete (South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats)

South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats <info@secambslibdems.org.uk>

Guided bus project will be Late, Expensive and Incomplete

December 13, 2008 4:34 PM

Cabinet papers released by Cambridgeshire County Council make it clear that the guided bus project will be late in delivery, it will be expensive and it will not deliver all that was promised.

The busway, according the papers, is currently forecast to cost £6 million more than the original target. This is being largely offset by a contingency fund and other savings.

The trouble is that contractor BAM Nuttalls does not see it that way; it is claiming that the cost will be much higher and seems to be expecting the Council to foot more of the bill.

Lib Dem group leader on the County Council, David Jenkins said: 'All credit to the officers for agreeing a tough contract and managing this difficult project, but nothing can conceal the fact that it was an unpopular project to start with and that it was squeezed into a financial straight jacket. We are now seeing the impact on its schedule, its cost and on how much the County Council is going to have to put in to fund it. The Tory Cabinet made strong commitments when the it decided to go ahead with this project in July 2006 and it has failed to meet them. It has broken its promises to the people of Cambridge.'

'We were told that it would open next February and now we know it will not'.

'We were told that no Cambridgeshire tax payers' money would be needed and now we know that it will'.

'We were promised a cycleway between the City and Longstanton and top quality Park and Ride facilities in Longstanton and St Ives when it opened and now we know we are not going to get them until later.'

'Lib Dems have consistently advised the Council firstly not to build the busway and secondly to be more conservative with its financing. Now we are all suffering because the ruling Conservatives did not follow our advice'.