Reader fraser Pithie has been assiduously chasing all the local authorities along the line of the HS2 route with Freedom of Information requests to find out just how much council taxpayers' money is being spent on opposing the national project. While some, such as Northamptonshire and Staffordshire, have spent none, others have expended large sums - with the biggest spenders shown in the table. Mind you, economics may be a better friend to these councils than politics: local newspaper reports of private meetings between Camden and HS2 suggest that the Chancellor's ambition for a rebuild of Euston with office towers above is 'unfundable' and the plans for the terminus are under review (again). Shades of the Thameslink rebuild of London Bridge - although the history of that project would suggest there is a fundable scheme for Euston out there somewhere.
展开▼
