Scottish Infrastructure

[HibeeJibee]

Laugh or cry?


Cost of new greener Elgin procurator fiscal office rises to £3.5m - BBC News

Cost of energy efficiency improvements at Elgin procurator fiscal’s office rises to £3.5m

The cost of a project to make the procurator fiscal office in Elgin greener has jumped by £1.3m.

The decarbonisation project budget was put at £2.2m earlier this year, but that has now risen 59% to £3.5m. Renovations have been taking place at the South Street premises in the Moray town. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said it was committed to meeting its targets to reduce carbon emissions. It was announced in August that the office would close for up to nine months to allow the "extensive" works to be carried out.  During the work, the procurator fiscal office has been temporarily relocated to the town's police station in Moray Street.

This includes replacing all windows, installing a new heating system, and insulating all external walls.

Alison McKenzie, Procurator Fiscal for Aberdeen, said at the start of the project: "We can be enormously proud of the pioneering role our staff in Elgin are playing in helping COPFS to decarbonise. "COPFS is committed to transforming workspaces to create modern, ecologically efficient and environmentally friendly spaces."

Of the revised budget, COPFS said in a statement: "The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is committed to ensure value for public money in all contracts, which are subject to a robust and compliant procurement process. "COPFS is also committed to meet its targets to reduce carbon emissions in COPFS premises by 2.5% each year and become carbon neutral by 2040."

[Florentine_Pogen]

^^^^ That is just bonkers and probably another case of the public purse being plundered by contractors and consultants. Would love to see a priced Bill of Quantity for this 'project'.

The UK in general is just a fvcking perpetual gravy train for any public works contracts.

[DiegoDiego]

How much carbon is being released in the manufacture, transport and installation of all these upgrades to the building?

[Sergeant Wilson]

5 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

Laugh or cry?


Cost of new greener Elgin procurator fiscal office rises to £3.5m - BBC News

Cost of energy efficiency improvements at Elgin procurator fiscal’s office rises to £3.5m

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The cost of a project to make the procurator fiscal office in Elgin greener has jumped by £1.3m.

The decarbonisation project budget was put at £2.2m earlier this year, but that has now risen 59% to £3.5m. Renovations have been taking place at the South Street premises in the Moray town. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said it was committed to meeting its targets to reduce carbon emissions. It was announced in August that the office would close for up to nine months to allow the "extensive" works to be carried out.  During the work, the procurator fiscal office has been temporarily relocated to the town's police station in Moray Street.

This includes replacing all windows, installing a new heating system, and insulating all external walls.

Alison McKenzie, Procurator Fiscal for Aberdeen, said at the start of the project: "We can be enormously proud of the pioneering role our staff in Elgin are playing in helping COPFS to decarbonise. "COPFS is committed to transforming workspaces to create modern, ecologically efficient and environmentally friendly spaces."

Of the revised budget, COPFS said in a statement: "The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is committed to ensure value for public money in all contracts, which are subject to a robust and compliant procurement process. "COPFS is also committed to meet its targets to reduce carbon emissions in COPFS premises by 2.5% each year and become carbon neutral by 2040."

All to accommodate civil servants who would rather be at home.

[alta-pete]

£5 NAP it’ll be closed and all business transferred to Aberdeen and Inverness within 5 years. 

[HibeeJibee]

Western Isles Council 'counting cost' of November's cyber attack - BBC News

An islands council says it is still calculating the financial cost of a cyber attack last month. Western isles local authority, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said it would need specialists' help to rebuild affected IT systems. The comhairle's website was taken down and its email service was disrupted.

Chief executive Malcolm Burr said some data also remained "inaccessible" but denied it had been lost.

Mr Burr told councillors at the comhairle's policy and resources committee: “We’re counting costs at the moment." He said the Scottish government might be asked if it could provide some technical assistance.

Mr Burr told councillors there was an "important distinction" between data being lost and inaccessible. He said: “In terms of data recovery, that is ongoing work. "You hear terms being used like ‘lost’, but it is all there, and it is simply that we can’t access it.

 

 

[ICTChris]

First new Glasgow Subway trains in 43 years!

 

[HibeeJibee]

"Scottish/Wales-&-West Infrastructure":


Network Rail manager quits after passengers stranded - BBC News

Network Rail's managing director for the Wales and Western region, Michelle Handforth, has resigned.

The news came just days after infrastructure problems left hundreds of passengers stranded in carriages for hours in the dark in west London.

Ms Handforth was paid a £330,000 salary and commuted to work from Aberdeen.

 

[ICTChris]

Today Unst, tomorrow the solar system

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-67741864

A contact has informed me that these guys are chancers - builders have walked off site after not being paid and they are funded by landowners from Caithness who don't want one near their land.

Edited December 18, 2023 by ICTChris

[ICTChris]

Also, had this video pop up on YouTube.  Abandoned Ayr, not a pretty picture.

 

You could make a similar video about probably most towns of a similar size in Scotland.

[Empty It]

I'm only 28 and I'm starting to think I'll be lucky to see the dualing of the A9 completed in my lifetime.

[HibeeJibee]

Water body chief resigns over £77k Harvard expenses row - BBC News

The chief executive of the public body regulating Scottish Water has quit after it was accused of "poor governance" with public funds. The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) spent more than £77,000 on a course for a senior executive at Harvard Business School in the US. A further £2,600 was claimed to provide every staff member with a £100 gift card for Christmas.

Chief executive Alan Sutherland will leave his role with immediate effect. The body employs 26 people and it has a statutory duty to promote the interests of Scottish Water's customers. It is funded via a levy on Scottish Water.

The report by the Auditor General stated that the "financial management and governance issues found at the commission fall far short of what is expected of a public body". The Water Industry Commission for Scotland said: "We take the Auditor General's findings seriously and will work with Audit Scotland and the Scottish government to address these."

The Scottish government, which had approved the expenses retrospectively, said the failings were "completely unacceptable".

Further findings in the audit showed that the cost per head claimed for a dinner, attended by Mr Sutherland, exceeded £200 per person - despite the approved non-city limit being set at £25. It also noted an "unusual" policy where claiming alcohol on expenses was allowed.

A total of £77,350 was claimed for the Harvard Business School course attended by chief operating officer Michelle Ashford, which included flights to Boston. Approval was also only sought afterwards for the expenses, despite Scottish government approval in advance being required for any service above £20,000. Earlier this year it emerged that Mr Sutherland had been given a £14,000 payment for some annual leave he did not use.

 

[topcat(The most tip top)]

56 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

Water body chief resigns over £77k Harvard expenses row - BBC News

The chief executive of the public body regulating Scottish Water has quit after it was accused of "poor governance" with public funds. The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) spent more than £77,000 on a course for a senior executive at Harvard Business School in the US. A further £2,600 was claimed to provide every staff member with a £100 gift card for Christmas.

Chief executive Alan Sutherland will leave his role with immediate effect. The body employs 26 people and it has a statutory duty to promote the interests of Scottish Water's customers. It is funded via a levy on Scottish Water.

The report by the Auditor General stated that the "financial management and governance issues found at the commission fall far short of what is expected of a public body". The Water Industry Commission for Scotland said: "We take the Auditor General's findings seriously and will work with Audit Scotland and the Scottish government to address these."

The Scottish government, which had approved the expenses retrospectively, said the failings were "completely unacceptable".

Further findings in the audit showed that the cost per head claimed for a dinner, attended by Mr Sutherland, exceeded £200 per person - despite the approved non-city limit being set at £25. It also noted an "unusual" policy where claiming alcohol on expenses was allowed.

A total of £77,350 was claimed for the Harvard Business School course attended by chief operating officer Michelle Ashford, which included flights to Boston. Approval was also only sought afterwards for the expenses, despite Scottish government approval in advance being required for any service above £20,000. Earlier this year it emerged that Mr Sutherland had been given a £14,000 payment for some annual leave he did not use.

 

So his employers end up paying for his Harvard Training and now he can go and use it to get a gig as for someone else


 

[HibeeJibee]

On 24/10/2023 at 18:55, HibeeJibee said:

Ferguson ferry design 'more complex' than warships - BBC News
 

The design of the two long-delayed ferries being built on the Clyde has proved more complex than the Navy's latest warships, MSPs have been told.

The project at Ferguson Marine has run years late and is more than three-and-a-half times over its original budget. Chief executive David Tydeman accepted that "lots of mistakes" and "simple errors" were made during construction. And he said squeezing components into the ferries was more challenging than the design of the new Type 26 frigates. Mr Tydeman said "steady progress" was being made on the project, and that there was an "opportunity" to stay within the latest requested budget.

The final cost of the first ship - Glen Sannox - will be around £200m, while the second - Glen Rosa - will be around £160m. Mr Tydeman, who took over as chief executive in March 2022, told Holyrood's net zero committee that he believed the ships would be worth around £70m each once complete.

Mr Tydeman said 20,000 technical drawings had been sent to Fergusons during 2020, at a point in lockdown when there were no staff at the yard to check them - something he said "seems unwise".

New stairwells are being installed in the ships and new doors will be fitted during sea trials, with the passenger capacity being cut from nearly 1,000 to 852. Mr Tydeman also said "lots of mistakes" had been made during construction, such as the wrong kind of steel being used in pipework around the entry ramp on the Glen Sannox. He said this was a "simple error", but just one example where work had to be redone two or even three times.

Work for 30 staff at the yard, and was "an important aspect in securing staff morale on site, essential for maintaining the productivity we need for Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox". The shipyard is awaiting a decision on Scottish government funding for a new plating line which Mr Tydeman said was essential for raising productivity so it could put in competitive tenders for future orders.

 

 

On 14/11/2023 at 16:08, HibeeJibee said:

Minister's 'regret' over further ferry delays and costs - BBC News

Ferguson Marine statement begins

Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work & Energy Secretary Neil Gray begins the Ferguson Marine statement by stressing the commitment to ensure a viable future for the yard. Gray says he wants to maintain shipbuilding in and around Inverclyde. The wellbeing economy secretary says it was with "much regret and disappointment" that he noted the most recent update from the chief executive at Ferguson Marine which set out delays to the delivery dates and an increase in the estimated costs.

Neil Gray says he welcomes the scrutiny of the Scottish Parliament into the ferries contract. He turns to the certification by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) which has led to an increase in costs. Ferguson Marine enjoys good relationships with the MCA, insists Gray. He points out a number of modifications have been made to the original design in the last few months in order to secure certification by the MCA.

The Glen Sannox will move to phase one of the dockside trials and there will be sea trials in January.

The Glen Rosa will have its slipway launch and naming ceremony on 12 March 2024, says the minister.

Completion of the Glen Sannox is now around £130m and £100m for Glen Rosa, says the minister. He adds this is an increase of £32m for the Glen Sannox and an increase of £4.8m for the Glen Rosa.

Neil Gray says the delivery date projection for the Glen Sannox is now 31 March 2024 and 31 May 2025 for the Glen Rosa.

Since it was rescued from collapse back in 2014, the shipyard has consumed the best part of £500m in taxpayers' money. Two ferries are being built there for Calmac. But they are six years late and three-and-a-half times over budget. McColl's company FMEL beat off competition from some of Europe's leading shipyards for a £97m order for two 100m CalMac ferries. Its bid was the most expensive but government-owned ferries procurement agency CMAL says its design is the most detailed and developed. A new turnaround director Tim Hair, appointed on a daily rate of £2,500, reports it will cost at least £110m extra to complete the ships, on top of £83m already handed over. Today, reports suggest regulators have approved safety changes on board the two delayed ferries. And we may see ministerial approval of funding for the latest £24 million overspend on the vessels.

 

Calmac ferries facing further potential delays

Calmac ferries facing further potential delays - BBC News

[mathematics]

Not sure if this counts as infrastructure but the Scottish NHS might be in [more] trouble as Consultants will be considering strike action over the recent tax changes.

[MazzyStar]

Anyone that earns 6 figures really shouldn’t be going on strike. They want more money for the NHS, but they are unwilling to pay more taxes. You can’t have your cake and eat it. 

[mathematics]

2 minutes ago, MazzyStar said:

Anyone that earns 6 figures really shouldn’t be going on strike. They want more money for the NHS, but they are unwilling to pay more taxes. You can’t have your cake and eat it. 

I know where you’re coming from but It’s a little more complicated than that. The NHS works because consultants do additional work (for additional pay) to try and get through the backlogs. There’s a backlog because not enough doctors are being trained/hired/kept-from-emigrating (and covid fallout, but there were backlogs before 2020). Consultants may/will think twice about doing additional work for 30p on the pound.

[vikingTON]

3 hours ago, mathematics said:

I know where you’re coming from but It’s a little more complicated than that. The NHS works because consultants do additional work (for additional pay) to try and get through the backlogs. There’s a backlog because not enough doctors are being trained/hired/kept-from-emigrating (and covid fallout, but there were backlogs before 2020). Consultants may/will think twice about doing additional work for 30p on the pound.

The NHS doesn't work - the relying on the consultant system has been a massive sticking plaster that we all pay for ultimately. 

It's obviously in the interests of consultants to circle the wagons around their (relative) jolly and their Friday afternoon golf day but also in the interest of the rest of society to cut it back. Simply having to pay more tax than before is a strike for which zero public sympathy should be provided. 

Essential services should be provided for by fully contracted and paid employees. The NHS needs fundamental reform to put that deal in place instead of relying on (highly paid) 'goodwill' to fill the gaps. 

Edited December 22, 2023 by vikingTON

[mathematics]

29 minutes ago, virginton said:

The NHS doesn't work - the relying on the consultant system has been a massive sticking plaster that we all pay for ultimately. 

It's obviously in the interests of consultants to circle the wagons around their (relative) jolly and their Friday afternoon golf day but also in the interest of the rest of society to cut it back. Simply having to pay more tax than before is a strike for which zero public sympathy should be provided. 

Essential services should be provided for by fully contracted and paid employees. The NHS needs fundamental reform to put that deal in place instead of relying on (highly paid) 'goodwill' to fill the gaps. 

100% agree.

[Leith Green]

1 hour ago, virginton said:

The NHS doesn't work - the relying on the consultant system has been a massive sticking plaster that we all pay for ultimately. 

It's obviously in the interests of consultants to circle the wagons around their (relative) jolly and their Friday afternoon golf day but also in the interest of the rest of society to cut it back. Simply having to pay more tax than before is a strike for which zero public sympathy should be provided. 

Essential services should be provided for by fully contracted and paid employees. The NHS needs fundamental reform to put that deal in place instead of relying on (highly paid) 'goodwill' to fill the gaps. 

Its a lie anyway, the consultants I know have said that if they are under pressure (re pension issues or tax) via the NHS system, they simply reduce those hours and "do more private work" which goes through their company.