The potential extension of Edinburgh's trams may come with an extraordinary bill, says John McLennan

Like pilgrims wearing a cilice in an act of penance, every year pained councillors across Scotland don the proverbial hair shirt to beg forgiveness from the electorate for the budgets they are about to slash and the taxes they are about to hike.

It is, of course, never their fault. Instead, a centralising, control-freaked SNP Scottish Government hoarding cash, or Tory/Blue Labour austerity - usually pronounced with a silent second ‘t’ for extra venom - is always to blame. The only alternative to cuts is borrowing and according to BBC analysis published this week, Scotland’s 32 local authorities have racked up £19.2billion of debt, up 11 per cent on last year.

Perhaps Glasgow deserves more credit for keeping its obligations down to a mere £1.6 bn because the most indebted council is the City of Edinburgh, owing just short of £2bn, an increase of 14% from last year, the equivalent of £3,800 per person. The finance convener, Labour councillor Mandy Watt, correctly explained that capital investment in major infrastructure projects could not happen without substantial borrowing and cited the ongoing £86m restoration of the North Bridge as a good example. Few, except back-to-the-Stone-Age Greens, would argue the repairs were not essential for the........

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