HS2 ‘conning the gullible’ over benefits
THE firm building the high speed rail (HS2) link to London is attempting to take credit for anything positive happening in the West Midlands, according to a campaign group.
The ‘Stop HS2’ group claims the railway company is “shamelessly trying to con the gullible”, after a report by outgoing Chairman Sir David Higgins made a host of claims about the impact of the railway on the region so far.
These included that ‘448 local businesses have already delivered work for HS2 Ltd’, as well as claims that the railway ‘has already engaged with over 500 business from across the West Midlands’.
The report also says that ‘6,000 jobs across the UK have been supported by the project,’ while also stating that Birmingham is ‘booming at the prospect of the new railway’.
Last week it was revealed in a leaked government report from December 2016 that experts believed HS2 to be ‘fundamentally flawed’, predicting that the project may overshoot its £56 billion budget by up to 60 per cent.
And Joe Rukin, a spokesman for the Stop HS2 group, believes that this latest report is an attempt to cover up the scheme’s failings.
“David Higgins was brought in to HS2 Ltd with a remit of cutting costs, but he leaves having completed failed, with costs rising and aspects of the project being cut,” he said.
“Given this, it’s essential for those supporting HS2 to invent some positives, meaning they now have the cheek to say that anything good happening in Birmingham is only happening because HS2 will come along in ten years time and nothing else matters. Claiming that after already spending £4bn but only just about managing to ‘support’ 6,000 jobs, is a perfect example of just what terrible value for money HS2 really is.
“HS2 Ltd are shamelessly trying to con the gullible into not noticing that the budget is out of control, the project is already three years late, and even the Governments’ own infrastructure watchdog has said it’s ‘fundamentally flawed’ and would be already considered a failure by international standards.
“It’s time to scrap this white elephant and come up with a genuine growth strategy that benefits the Midlands as a whole.”