HS2

Grayling promises £70m for communities as HS2 needed ‘more than ever’

Transport secretary Chris Grayling unveiled a new £70m fund for communities affected by HS2 as he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the high-speed rail project.

Speaking at the Transport Times HS2 Conference, Grayling announced three new funds for communities along the project’s phase 1 route: the HS2 Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF), which together total £40m. There is also a £30m fund for road safety projects along the route.

“We need HS2 now more than ever,” Grayling said. “We need it for the capacity it will bring on the routes between London, the West Midlands, Crewe, Leeds and Manchester, as well as the space it’ll create elsewhere on our transport network. We need it for the boost it will give to our regional and national economies. And we need it for the jobs it will create, and for the way it will link our country together. So you can take it from me today, HS2 is going ahead.”

He added that HS2 was often considered controversial because of its impact on houses and businesses, but not the business case for the route. The transport secretary stated that the government should “do more to spread the positive effects of the railway to people who live and work along the route”.

The CEF will help enhance community facilities, improve access to the countryside and conserve the natural environment along the route, while the BLEF will support local economies in areas where businesses may experience disruption from the construction of HS2.

Community groups, charities, non-governmental organisations and business support specialists can bid for grants from the CEF and BLEF funds from next year – when construction is due to begin – to 2026.

Of the funding, £15m will go to the central area (Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Buckinghamshire), £7.5m to Greater London, £7.5m to the West Midlands, and £10m for cross-border or wider route projects.

Cathy Elliott, chair of the CEF and BLEF funds, said: “Allocation of the funds in this way allows communities to have an indication of the level of funding available while maintaining some flexibility to ensure that the overarching objective of the funds are met.

“Allocating the funding on a regional level will allow the funding of larger schemes which are likely to deliver a long lasting legacy.”

There have been doubts raised about HS2 since the EU referendum and the change of government, although both Grayling and Theresa May have insisted they still back it.

Andrew Tyrie, chair of the Treasury Select Committee, recently  wrote to Grayling saying the Department for Transport has failed to justify the economic case for the project, while the Public Accounts Committee has warned the phase 1 opening could be delayed from 2026 to 2027.

(Image c. HS2)

Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become an RTM columnist? If so, click here.