Will digital tech change anything?

Will digital tech change anything?  The HS2 Ltd board might argue that it won’t, but their actions prove otherwise.

As we said last week, HS2 Ltd were being slow in putting up their most recent Board minutes. Earlier this year, they claimed a “technical error” had prevented the latest minutes being out on the website, but this time round it may well be plain embarrassment.

Since our post last week, HS2 Ltd have put up the minutes of their two Board meetings in May, on 1st May and 16th May.

The 1st May meeting seems to have been an emergency Board meeting to make “key changes” to the HS2 Ltd Spending Round submission, which they had discussed at the Board meeting held just a week earlier.

However, while HS2 Ltd’s financial problems are well known – having led to the supposed need for the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill – the other thing of interest is the way that some HS2 Board members used a conference call to take part.

Having spent three years telling the public that digital tech will change nothing, the HS2 Ltd board seems to have managed to use it to hold the Board meeting.

Whatever HS2 Ltd, or the Department for Transport, say about digital tech it’s clear that they are making use of it themselves.