Abort HS2

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority – a joint body of the Cabinet Office and the Treasury – report written in December 2016 and ‘hidden for commercial sensitivity reasons’ despite many FOI requests by MPs and others, has been leaked.

No wonder No 10 kept it away from MPs, the ultimate decision makers when it comes to passing the Hybrid Bill through Parliament; with its views made public, surely many MPs might not have been happy to be whipped through the ‘Ayes’ lobby.

The IPA describe the whole scheme as ‘fundamentally flawed’ and ‘in a precarious position’.

It states that the ‘chaos within the project threatens other Government spending’, with a ‘very high opportunity-cost impact across other Government departments’.

Add to the known budget constraints imposed on the NHS, social care, the police and others, the likely high cost impact of Brexit; and the uncontrolled spending of HS2 Ltd and its parent, the Department of Transport, is shown to lack any form of control.

Ask yourself a very simple question.

Would you rather see your taxes being spent to enhance the funding of the NHS, social care, the police and others – which would benefit millions of us – or vote for the bottomless pit that is HS2?

The IPA report attacks the HS2 management for ‘lack of cohesion and a common vision’ and says the executive team – with many changes in personnel – ‘has no credible plan by which to gauge or manage progress’.

It further notes the ‘destabilising turnover of senior staff ’ despite paying some of the ‘highest public sector salaries in the UK’.

The nightmare can be ended by MPs clearly demonstrating that they have the courage to abort this totally unnecessary project which will only benefit those who build it.

Ewen Simpson Whatcroft