A report to Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet has highlighted its opposition to the Government’s high speed rail scheme in response to the public consultation.
The report highlights the arguments against HS2 and, if agreed by Cabinet on Thursday (July 14), it will form the county official response to the consultation which ends on July 29.
Last month the Overview and Scrutiny Committee discussed the report and councillors quizzed Martin Capstick, the Director responsible for HS2 at the Department for Transport, and HS2 Ltd Director of Communications Miranda Carter.
Cllr Bob Stevens, Deputy Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said:
“The report being received by Cabinet highlights the many reasons why the county council is in opposition to the scheme.
“We have major concerns about the national benefits of the scheme and whether there is a case for HS2 being in the national interest.
“Locally, the county will gain very limited economic benefit and many people will be adversely affected by the scheme.
“The serious issues for Warwickshire to contend with include the lack of economic benefits and the significant environmental impact on our communities, the effect on emergency services, the severance of land and the impact on footpaths and rights of way and the road network.
“Combined with misgivings about the national business case, this makes the HS2 proposal unsustainable in our opinion.”
Fundamental to Warwickshire’s opposition to the £32 billion scheme is the ‘lack of consideration being given to the alternatives to HS2 and that it offers poor value for money for the taxpayer, together with a flawed economic case’.
The report adds that the county council agrees that Britain’s rail infrastructure needs improvement but is asking for more detailed consideration to be made of alternative options, including upgrading of the existing West Coast Main Line, before a decision is made on HS2.
The county council resolved last December to oppose the scheme.
Warwickshire has been working with borough and district colleagues, members of the 51m group which represents the local authorities along the route, the action groups and HS2 Ltd to gather data and information about the scheme and its likely impact on the area.
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What lunacy is demonstrated by seriously considering the massive commitment to this project, at this stage and with perfectly viable alternatives already in place. The outgoing secretary to the treasury stated the money supply was exhausted by the last Labour administration. The presents Conservative administration has seen fit to ‘perpetuate’ the war in Afghanistan, support the revolutionaries in Libya (another potentially unending conflictIf) and provide massive, unprecedented aid to nations which are better able to care for itself than we are, as a nation; and/or backing administrations well known for syphoning off funds for purposes well outside the legitimate uses intended for the aid given.
Had we the money for this project (the cost of which will inevitably rocket as problems and the real issues are encountered, then we should not embark upon it until it is proved to be the only satisfactory solution to an impossible problem. Not least that all other systems/solutions and routes have been thoroughly explored/assessed. At present, we do not have the finances. Whilst our level of debt is so great that it is unimaginable and as we struggle to maintain basic services it is irresponsible to consider constructing this ‘politicians legacy’, which will almost certainly turn out to be a total folly!
The Beneficiaries
The French (or the Germans or the Japanese; but seemingly not the British !) who will make the trains, provide the electricity as part of a package linking HS2 to Eurostar
Those from whom we import the steel for the rails, signage and signalling; above all command & control systems
Shareholders in any of the countries/companies supplying UK plc with the structure and technological knowhow and equipment
Politicians whose interest may be no more than than the demands of their own political tribalism; but highly likely to be in their interest through a form of ‘insider trading’ enabling investment in companies whose ‘name is on the contract’
Perhaps those cities with an improved linkage to London and the South East (but by no means certain)
The Losers
The British Public – The loss of prime agricultural land and food production associated with both the physical loss of land to the HS2 initiative, the disruption to farm business presently farming the land and the rape of the countryside at the time of construction and subsequently due to rail traffic and the inevitable servicing the infrastructure
The British Taxpayers – (under) estimated at £1,000 per person
Those local to the laying of tracks & infra structure
Those experiencing closure and/or diminution of activity at Railway Stations and the areas they serve, through enhanced inconvenience and loss of business/businesses along the full length of the HS2 corridor
Ultimate Control & Accountability
Agencies and authorities outwith the UK, because the Politicians responsible for forcing initiatives through invariably renege on their responsibilities; the UK public bodies are inept and are as reliable/competant as the politicians they serve; assets of any worth will be sold off to ‘foreign agencies’ and with them any hope of retaining some semblance of control and accountability under UK control
At least that is the pattern we have seen emerge over the past few years and why should it change when the political will is lacking
Alternatives
What is wrong in making best use of the facilities we have available to us now (rather the those who will make a ‘fast buck’ from any ‘new initiative’)
Video Conferencing is making attending wasteful and time consuming meetings redundant
Make best use of existing infrastructure, that is the existing main line rail (East & West Coast), particularly the recently upgraded Chiltern Rail which lends itself to the one vital link not yet in place Heathrow Airport !