Published: September 9th 2011 - at 3:35 pm

Tory councils opposing HS2 face questions


by Newswire    

It has been reported today that nine Tory councils are spending over £1 million to oppose Government plans for High-Speed Rail.

News broke today that major district and county councils along the route of the proposed high-speed two have established a ‘fighting fund’ to oppose the project.

With dissention already in the Tory ranks, this will surely add fuel to the fire resulting in a confrontation between the Tory leadership and their traditional heartlands.

HS2 was in the Conservative Party manifesto, and has had continued support from the Transport Secretary, the Chancellor and the Prime Minister himself.

In PMQs in June, David Cameron said:

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.

Our sources suggest the news has prompted the Audit Commission to look into a possible misuse of public money.

If this is true, this could mean big trouble for the nine councils.

Local authorities cannot be seen to be spending on publicity and lobbying to oppose the government in times of cutbacks and jobs losses.

Update: Tory MP Accuses Councils Of ‘Illegally’ Spending £1m Of Taxpayers Money To Fight High Speed Rail


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Reader comments


1. Tim Fenton

So where is the obligatory pundit from the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance?

OK, I know the answer to that one. They’re all keeping schtum and pretending not to have heard about it.

2. John Ruddy

Tim,
Isnt the so-called Taxpayers Alliance one of the supporters of the Stop HS2 campaign? You’ll never see them arguing that this is a waste of money.

3. Tim Fenton

@2,

I am reminded of Spike Milligan on one of the Q series contorting himself on the studio floor and saying “this puts me in a very difficult position”.

4. Cherub

This reminds me of West Sussex County Council’s expensive opposition to the South Downs National Park. Despite considerable public support for the proposed park, WSCC spend hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money fighting the proposal. A quick Google comes up with this for a start: http://www.chichester.co.uk/news/local/bid_to_stop_council_s_opposition_to_downs_park_fails_1_1513184

In the case of the South Downs I think the true colours of the Conservatives were revealed. This was blatant campaigning for the benefit of a few wealthy landowners by the council, simple defence of privilege. I suppose HS2 is more complicated, but I suspect that the main motivation for Tory opponents is similar.

5. Margin4error

HS2 was just a figleaf for the tories at the last election. They could attract nimby votes on the back of opposing healthrow expansion while claiming they were not holding the country’s economy back by restricting infrastructure – because they supported HS2.

Then they got in and have given free reign to their local MPs in the area, to their Mayor of London, and to freindly columnists and journalists at their favoured newspapers to attack it – all the time paving the way for kicking HS2 into the long grass.

Fundementally they just don’t get infrastructure, and while cutting tax makes the UK competitive to generic businesses with generic needs – infrastructure is where this country has fallen farthest behind and needs most done to catch up if our economy is to compete in the modern world.

6. JK

You couldn’t make this up. The Audit Commission, presumably this is the same Audit Commission that is soon to be abolished by Eric Pickles in the name of Localism, is being directed to investigate those councils who are campaigning against the HS2 in defence of their locality. Is this an example of what our Eric calls directed localism……?

7. Leon Wolfeson

Never mind that HS2 is an economic white elephant which is drawuing needed investment away from other lines, in areas with higher numbers of labour voters…

No, the real crime is they’re embarasing the government. Nothing else.

8. Margin4error

Leon

don’t under-estimate the economic value of HS2 in the long term. Once the line reaches north to manchester and leeds it could free up a lot of capacity on existing lines for freight – which would in turn make the UK a lot more competitive for new industry.

9. Leon Wolfeson

@8 – The value is still outweighted, vastly, by spending the same on upgrades for existing lines. Especially the long-haul line sections with relatively slow limits, still.

Freight is not running to capacity on many lines as it is.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Lucy James

    Well-placed source: Audit Commission may ask if Tory councils are mis-using public money to oppose high-speed rail2 http://t.co/DPp19qv

  2. Alex Braithwaite

    Well-placed source: Audit Commission may ask if Tory councils are mis-using public money to oppose high-speed rail2 http://t.co/DPp19qv

  3. Martin Shovel

    Well-placed source: Audit Commission may ask if Tory councils are mis-using public money to oppose high-speed rail2 http://t.co/DPp19qv

  4. Richard Hardy

    Audit Commissions abolition will prevent accountability like this http://t.co/H5j1sI7 pls RT @M_Star_Online @pcs_union @ProspectUnion

  5. Richard Hardy

    Audit Commissions abolition will prevent accountability like this http://t.co/H5j1sI7 pls RT @communist_party @gagging_order

  6. Richard Hardy

    Audit Commissions abolition will prevent accountability like this http://t.co/H5j1sI7 pls RT @TUCnews @guardian

  7. Kam Satchell

    Well-placed source: Audit Commission may ask if Tory councils are mis-using public money to oppose high-speed rail2 http://t.co/DPp19qv

  8. Richard Hardy

    Well-placed source: Audit Commission may ask if Tory councils are mis-using public money to oppose high-speed rail2 http://t.co/DPp19qv

  9. Gagging Order

    MT: @Redvark: #AuditCommission abolition will prevent accountability like this http://t.co/tfgxXFy

  10. Prospect Union

    Audit Commissions abolition will prevent accountability like this http://t.co/H5j1sI7 pls RT @M_Star_Online @pcs_union @ProspectUnion

  11. Len Arthur

    Sources: Audit Commission looking into Tory councils opposing HS2 http://t.co/e8a2UV1

  12. Greg Sheppard

    Well-placed source: Audit Commission may ask if Tory councils are mis-using public money to oppose high-speed rail2 http://t.co/DPp19qv

  13. Yes To HS2

    RT @Biz4HS2: Tory councils opposing #HS2 face questions http://t.co/xjj267W #Chiltern #Aylesbury #Hillingdon #HSR

  14. Meeting Place Comms.

    RT @Biz4HS2: Tory councils opposing #HS2 face questions http://t.co/xjj267W #Chiltern #Aylesbury #Hillingdon #HSR

  15. James Leppard

    Audit Commissions abolition will prevent accountability like this http://t.co/H5j1sI7 pls RT @M_Star_Online @pcs_union @ProspectUnion

  16. Jill Hayward

    Audit Commissions abolition will prevent accountability like this http://t.co/H5j1sI7 pls RT @M_Star_Online @pcs_union @ProspectUnion





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