A number of the major district and county councils along the route of the proposed High-Speed Two (HS2) rail line are being investigated by the Audit Commission.
There are reports this morning that a number of the major district and county councils along the route of the proposed High-Speed Two (HS2) rail line are being investigated by the Audit Commission for the misuse of public money, described by Tory MP for Weaver Vale, Graham Evans, as a “disgraceful misuse of public money”.
According to an article in the Bucks Herald in August, more than £250,000 of taxpayers’ money has been spent by councils along the route on a fund to fight HS2.
The councils, including Buckinghamshire County Council and Aylesbury Vale District Council, are reported to all belong to 51m – a group of 15 Tory run councils who are against the project.
This sum, however, may be substantially lower than the actual figures that have been spent, today’s Liverpool Daily Echo reporting that £1 million may have been spent. It has also been suggested that considerably more councils are currently being investigated by the Audit Commission.
If this is true, this could leave these councils in a heap of trouble. Not only are they spending this money in a time of major council cutbacks, but they are spending the money in direct opposition to a project that has full support at the top levels of government.
Tory-run councils in the Home Counties are funnelling money to directly oppose a project that was in the Conservative Party manifesto (p. 23, pdf), and has had continued support from transport secretary Philip Hammond, chancellor George Osborne and the prime minister himself, David Cameron telling Parliament in June:
“I believe that if we are really serious about rebalancing our economy and ensuring that we get growth across the country, and not just in the south-east, the time for high-speed rail has come. That is why it has my strong support.”
There has already been some dissent in the ranks of the Conservative party on this matter, with backbencher Andrea Leadsom (Con, South Northamptonshire) and Welsh secretary Cheryl Gillan (Con, Chesham & Amersham) – whose constituencies lie along the proposed route – leading the charge.
After the uprising from the Home Counties about the proposed changes to planning legislation, Tory-run councils misbehaving over another proposed piece of legislation will not be a further irritant to the government.
32 Responses to “Audit Commission to investigate anti-HS2 Tory councils”
elaine hancock
Mr Cameron appears to be selling England to the highest bidders in the construction industry with hs2 and the new planning regulations proposed.It is obvious that especially at this time the councils would rather be spending the money on other things.This makes it clear that if so many are against it that it is so flawed they are prepared to fight it.The money that the govenment has put ito this already is huge and the amount they wish to spend obsene especially as it will destroy so much countryside.
K Stephenson
I also live in Bucks and in the year since the government announced the project I have yet to meet anyone who supports it. This government will stop at nothing to get its own way in the teeth of strong opposition. We should be investigating Philip Hammond’s profligate misuse of public money in setting up HS2 Ltd and running a flawed public consultation.
Peter Davidson
@Ed’s Talking Balls: “But very little support, and extremely strong opposition, at grass roots level.” Really – what evidence do you have to support your claim? It’s true that there is very vocal opposition in a small number of Conservative constituencies (all in close promximity to the proposed HS2 route) but across the country generally this project doesn’t really register one way or the other – of course it’s going to cost a lot of money to build a brand new rail line – outside of HS1 (Channel Tunnel rail link) we haven’t had one of those in more than a hundred years – the storm of protest unleashed by HS2 indicates just why? You claim that ordinary people paying their council tax fail to see the benefit of this scheme – what you mean is YOU fail to see the benefit of this scheme because it’s passing through your back yard! Personally I fail to see the beneifit of CrossRail or ThamesLink, two schemes (solely benefitting London) currently going ahead right now (during this period of austerity and cutbacks) yet consuming £2bn of taxpayer money each fiscal year, the very same sum that will go to HS2, over its period of construction, from 2015 onwards – why aren’t you jumping up and down about that particular waste of public money? Time to get on with HS2, PDQ!!!
Mike Geddes
You refer to leftfootforward as ‘evidence-based’. Yet you quote Philip Hammond saying that HS2 will promote growth throughout the country not just in the South East, without questioning this claim. In fact, the evidence shows that HS2 would widen the North=South divide, bringing most benefit to London. See the evidence by Professor John Tomaney to the Transport Select Committee which gives a good, objective summary of the available research. Clearly transport investment is important in underpinning economic prosperity. But again the evidence is that high speed rail is about the least effective form of transport investment in this respect. Labour’s Commission for Integrated Transport (now abolished by the Tories) was clear about this. So, are you interested in blindly repeating unsubstantiated Tory claims about HS2, or are you interested in the evidence?
Ed's Talking Balls
‘what evidence do you have to support your claim?’
Not having consulted opinion polls (not even being aware that one has been commissioned), none. I freely admit that all I am going off is anecdotal evidence. I have yet to meet anyone in favour of HS2.
‘across the country generally this project doesn’t really register one way or the other’
I would respond by asking the same question you posed to me: what evidence do you have to support your claim? I think plenty of people do care about this and more would if the eye-watering figures were more widely known.
‘You claim that ordinary people paying their council tax fail to see the benefit of this scheme – what you mean is YOU fail to see the benefit of this scheme because it’s passing through your back yard!’
Ah, the old “NIMBY” chestnut. How tiresome. I don’t live along the proposed route, for your information, or even near it. I fail to see the benefit because it’s vastly expensive; there are better ways to spend that money; anyone should be able to appreciate the importance of beautiful countryside, wherever they live; and the arguments in favour of HS2 are generally weak, e.g. that it will address the North-South divide. In fact, it’s unlikely to do so, and may well exacerbate it. This is a rich man’s railway being unsuccessfully marketed as a social leveller.
‘Personally I fail to see the beneifit of CrossRail or ThamesLink, two schemes (solely benefitting London) currently going ahead right now’
I happen to agree. I don’t know what makes you think I would be in favour of those projects. If we are to spend such significant sums on rail, we should improve the existing network; extend the network to cater for areas with limited rail access, or none at all; and/or facilitate further access to the continent by train.