Some Information and Comment on the Funding of the Causey Project (with particular respect to funding ‘other urgent needs’).

  1. The Causey Project’s most important and key funder in several respects is now Sustrans, whose focus is on improving infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians and use of public transport, particularly networks, routes and paths for cyclists. Sustrans UK is based in Bristol and is a UK charity which draws funds from a wide variety of sources, including the Govt's Dept of Transport, charitable donations, bequests etc. For example, in the 2004/05 financial year, its income was £23.6 million: £2.1 million from supporters' donations, £8.5 million came from the Department for Transport and a further £2.5 million from the National Opportunities Fund specifically for the Safe Routes projects. Additional funding comes from charitable grants and trusts, local government and income from the sales of maps and books. In 2015-16, Sustrans delivered £49.6 million of practical projects in UK.

  2. Sustrans's branch in Scotland receives a substantial part of its funding from Transport Scotland, a department of the Scottish Government. The relevant allocation here from TS's budget is from TS's Sustainable Transport team and is specifically for improving active travel by cyclists and pedestrians and this cannot be spent on anything else. The funds earmarked for the Causey Project by Sustrans Scotland come under this heading via its Community Links Programme.

  3. Winning funding from Sustrans UK or Sustrans Scotland is a very competitive business vis-a-vis corresponding projects for improving cycling and pedestrian infrastructure etc in other places. Any funds earmarked by Sustrans for the Causey project to invest in Edinburgh's Southside would have gone to other projects in other places e.g. Aberdeen, Inverness, or even Sheffield or London, if CDT had not applied or not been successful. In fact, these would then have been projects which Sustrans rated as somewhat less beneficial than the Causey. The same applies to funding already won and used for earlier stages of the Causey project e.g. for public engagement and consultation and for design, very largely from various charities and trusts.

  4. We made the previous points clearly in the 'response to criticisms' document we presented to the Oct meeting of SCC. It was also made clearly in debates at SCC and the Southside Association in October.

  5. Any funding notionally allocated from CEC for the Causey is linked to the Sustrans funding and comes from CEC's budget for maintaining pavements etc. Thus none of the above funding for the Causey could be diverted to other priorities, such as better street cleaning, affordable housing or the NHS.
D.W. and R.L.H Feb. 2017