County response to Government on HS2
Some suggest Staffordshire County Council lacks ambition for growth because of our opposition to HS2
Nothing could be further from the truth and I’m offended at the thought.
Never before in Staffordshire has economic growth, jobs and prosperity been the priority it is now under this County Council. It pumps through our veins with boundless enthusiasm and within what is possible for us to do, as it’s actually business which drives growth, we are doing it.
From making loans available to business when banks don’t to using every trick in the book to get new economic activity into Staffordshire. We’re making our land assets work hard to create attractive opportunities to stimulate growth and the County Council is top of the tree nationally in providing young apprenticeships.
Over the last 20 months we have built strong foundations for growth and I’m confident that will lead to significant economic announcements sooner rather than later.
You name it, we are trying it… and there are strong signs it is making a difference here. So no, our thoughtful, substantial and evidence based opposition to High Speed Rail is anything but a lack of ambition. The scale of the County Council’s ambition on economic growth is genuinely mountainous. Rant over!!!!
I won’t rehearse yet again what my and the County Council’s objections are. Suffice to say they are justified more with what appears to be every credible report which is done on this proposal.
Talking of reports, the one we commissioned from Atkins Rail after the first County debate on HS2 has been used as the basis for our response to Government suggesting they look closer at other alternatives… and particularly an enhanced ‘Rail Package Two’.
You can read the report we commissioned HERE.
View the Cabinet discussion HERE.
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1 comment
It’s a good quality and balanced report you have commissioned. I started off pretty positive about the prospect of the UK having high speed rail but the sheer number of credible commentators who are at best suggesting there isn’t a case of any strength and at worst suggesting it could actually damage the economy outside of London is powerful.
I’m now opposed, pretty strongly actually having been for it, and the more I look at the company’s case the less evidence I can find for ever supporting it. I think I was swept away with the idea rather than the facts and I suspect many supporters are just that.
I can’t see, based on evidence, how government could contemplate pushing ahead with it.
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