Lothian Buses has a chance to wipe slate clean after strike threat – Steve Cardownie

The resignation of Richard Hall from his £227,700 job as the head of Lothian, the company that operates Edinburgh’s prize-winning bus service, has provided an opportunity that must be grasped with both hands.

The company has been bedevilled by industrial relations problems of late with a strike to protest over working conditions and the alleged “bullying“ culture within management only being averted at the last minute when a compromise deal was reached.

While all the problems cannot be laid at Richard Hall’s door there is no doubt that, as head of the organisation, he surely should bear some of the responsibility for workforce unrest, after all that is what he is (handsomely) paid for.

The appointment of his successor will generate a great deal of interest and it remains to be seen whether Lothian will promote someone from within its own ranks and perhaps risk the perpetuation of the current tension that exists, or whether the opportunity is taken to “wipe the slate clean” by appointing an “outsider” devoid of any leftover baggage.

For the travelling public’s sake, here’s hoping that they make the right decision!