Opinion : Should HS2 be scrapped?

Work is now well under way on the construction of HS2 through the Chiltern countryside.

However the multi-billion pound rail link is proving none too popular with residents in the towns and villages in the leafy Buckinghamshire countryside that it passes through.

Of course the fact the rail link has no stations in Buckinghamshire and thus is no benefit at all to the affected residents is a major negative point, not to mention the dreadful blight on the environment.

Indeed many have said that HS2 was major reason for the shock result of the recent Chesham and Amersham by-election held on Thursday 17th June 2021.

In the past few days articles have appeared in the national press hinting that the Birmingham to Leeds branch of HS2 may be scrapped to cut costs. As everyone knows the cost of the project, now put at around £107bn is already set to exceed the original estimate of £32bn at inception in 2012.

So is it time so scrap the entire project and consign it to the dustbin of history? Of course the damage already done to the lovely Chilterns country side would need to be rectified.

In my view HS2 is the new Poll Tax, the only difference is that the Poll Tax could easily be replaced with the Council Tax but HS2 is going to blight the countryside of England for years to come and will be a ‘eternal vote loser’ for the political party that gave the go-ahead for its construction.

What do you think?

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