Offer of £70m to ease HS2 blight on homes is an insult, say MPs
AN offer of £70million to communities blighted by High Speed 2 has been branded an ‘insult’ by furious MPs and local councils.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling yesterday confirmed plans to press ahead with the controversial project, arguing Britain needs HS2 ‘now more than ever’.
In an effort to appease local authorities, he also announced they could apply for £70million of Government grants for developments such as improved landscaping, cycle lanes and pedestrian safety schemes.
Of this, £40million will be allocated to councils along the first phase of the route between London and Birmingham. This includes £15million for the whole of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Buckinghamshire, and £7.5million for Greater London.
Residents who will end up with the line close to their properties have not yet been told what compensation they can expect.
But the comments triggered a backlash from opponents of the scheme, which was described yesterday as a ‘vanity project’ by the Institute of Economic Affairs.
One MP branded the fund as a ‘drop in the ocean’ compared with the £56billion budget for the project, which some experts fear could cost £90billion by the time it is completed.
More than £2billion has been spent on HS2 without a single piece of track being laid.
Buckinghamshire Council raised concerns that it may only receive £5million as it will have to share a £15million pot with Warwickshire and Staffordshire.
Martin Tett, the leader of the Tory council, said: ‘The announcement is terribly disappointing and implies that the Government just hasn’t grasped the sheer scale of the disruption HS2 will cause’.
He added that the funds were ‘an insult for the people of Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire and Staffordshire.’ Philip Hollobone, Tory MP for Kettering, said: ‘This really is a drop in the ocean compared with the overall costs of HS2. There is no doubt that a lot of people will be claiming compensation.’
Cheryl Gillan, the Tory MP for Chesham and Amersham, has been one of the most vocal opponents of HS2, which will run through the Chilterns, an area of outstanding natural beauty.
She said: ‘This is a small amount which won’t go anywhere near compensating residents for the disruption.’
Mr Grayling told a conference in East London that HS2 would ‘make a massive difference to our country’. He added: ‘Why on earth would we not want to build a new, state of the art, world-beating train line, rather than using yesterday’s technology?’
But responding to Mr Grayling’s speech, Mark Littlewood, director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: ‘This vanity project offers zero value for money for taxpayers who will bear the burden of the cost’.
The second phase of the route is due to connect the Midlands to Crewe, Leeds and Manchester.
The Department for Transport said the £70million fund comes on top of significant investment it has already made in mitigating the impact of HS2.
A spokesman added: ‘ By planning this project sensibly we have reduced adverse environmental effects as much as possible.’
THIS paper has long been doubtful about HS2, questioning whether the modest reductions it promises in journey times between London and the North and Midlands are worth the huge disruption and eye-watering £56billion cost – already nearly double the original estimate and predicted to go higher still.
But decisions on this and other major construction schemes have been delayed for far too long. Giving the go-ahead to HS2 at least shows the Government is serious about rebuilding and expanding our outdated infrastructure.
It also presents a massive opportunity to revitalise Britain’s rail engineering industries – once the envy of the world – which is why we say it’s absolutely imperative that HS2 is built by British companies, using British steel and British employees, whatever European competition rules might say.
If this project, which so many have doubts about, triggers a much-needed renaissance in British engineering, then maybe the huge cost can be justified.