Transport Committee tell DfT to ‘spin harder’ on HS2, as report provides a ‘cheerleading whitewash’.

 Posted by on Dec 13, 2013  No Responses »
Dec 132013
 

Following the increasing political rhetoric concerning HS2, the Transport Committee have ignored their previous concerns about HS2 to deliver a ‘cheerleading whitewash’ for the project. Their report urges the Department for Transport to spin harder to promote the project, suggesting they should abandon standard methods for appraising the project to bolster the case for HS2, and that they should start telling the public it will ‘only’ cost £28bn, opposed to …   Continue Reading

Has the Government taken the first step toward burying a critical HS2 report?

 Posted by on Dec 12, 2013  No Responses »
Dec 122013
 

A Freedom of Information Tribunal concerning the release of documents critical of the HS2 project, which was due to take place from 10am today (12th December 2013) has been postponed. It is understood that this follows a last minute intervention from the Cabinet Office, in line with speculation this week that the Government were planning to use their veto to block publication of the report, which was previously used to …   Continue Reading

Recent Parliamentary Questions: costs of HS2

 Posted by on Dec 11, 2013  No Responses »
Dec 112013
 

From Hansard: Treasury Questions: Infrastructure 10th December 2013 Helen Jones (Warrington North) (Lab): Can the Chief Secretary confirm that the cost of High Speed 2 has increased by £10 billion under this Government, and can he tell the House when he will get a grip on the costs of this huge infrastructure project? Danny Alexander: I do not recognise those figures. Back in the spending round in June, I set a cap on the …   Continue Reading

Ministers bid to use ‘war veto’ to keep HS2 documents secret.

 Posted by on Dec 10, 2013  3 Responses »
Dec 102013
 

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin  along with Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude have written to David Cameron to demand that a veto on Freedom of Information rulings, which has previously been used to prevent publication of documents relating to the Iraq War, should be used to prevent the publication of documents relating to HS2. In November 2011, HS2 got its first ‘amber-red’ rating from the Major Projects Authority, and despite the …   Continue Reading

Live updates from the Gagging Law Lobby Day

 Posted by on Dec 10, 2013  No Responses »
Dec 102013
 

Today, Campaigners from a whole host of organisations, included Stop HS2 are descending on Parliament to campaign for their very right to campaign! Live updates will appear below. Please join in on social media, using the hastag #GaggingLaw For background on how this law would gag Stop HS2, see this article http://stophs2.org/news/9316-government-step-campaigning-hs2-illegal [View the story "#gagginglaw Lobby of Parliament" on Storify]

Received EHS Applications Analysis

 Posted by on Dec 9, 2013  1 Response »
Dec 092013
 

From HS2 Ltd website: some details of the “Received EHS Applications Analysis” From Received EHS Application Analysis – Phase 2 To Date 1 December 2013 Number of applications received 64 Number of applications which are reapplications 6 Number of applications withdrawn by applicants 0 Number of applications accepted under the EHS 15 Number of applications rejected under the EHS 22 Number of applications pending a decision 27 Number of formal offers …   Continue Reading

How to Help Stop HS2 While Shopping for Christmas

 Posted by on Dec 7, 2013  2 Responses »
Dec 072013
 

With Christmas coming up, you can support Stop HS2 for FREE when shopping online with over 2,000 popular retailers, including Amazon, Argos, M&S, John Lewis, Debenhams, eBay, iTunes, HMV, Vodafone, DELL, The Body Shop, PLAY.com, Interflora, Comet and many more. Go to our page at www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/stophs2/  to register to support Stop HS2. After you have registered for Stop HS2, please click the ‘Raise More’ link and install the ‘Find & …   Continue Reading

Bluespace Thinking: An Evaluation of the HS2 Strategic and Economic Cases

 Posted by on Dec 6, 2013  2 Responses »
Dec 062013
 

Malcolm Griffiths of Bluespace Thinking writes: The Office of the Rail Regulator has published passenger usage figures up to the end of September 2013. They show that there has been zero growth in long distance rail demand over the last year although GDP growth has been about 3%. Bluespace Thinking predicted this reduction in long distance rail growth in April 2010. HS2 and the DfT continue to put forward a …   Continue Reading

From the National Infrastructure Plan

 Posted by on Dec 5, 2013  2 Responses »
Dec 052013
 

Ahead of today’s Autumn Budget statement, the Government published the National Infrastructure Plan, 2013. Here is some of what it says: p16 1.20 Transport will play an important part in meeting the government’s environmental targets. As part of this there is a need to shift to more environmentally sustainable technologies and fuels, and to promote lower carbon transport choices. Over the next decade, the biggest reduction in emissions from domestic …   Continue Reading

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