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Time for the Government to be brave over HS2
The high speed rail proposals may currently be just an idea on a piece of paper but the effect on peoples' lives here in the Vale is already very real.
There will be countless homeowners in Aylesbury, Wendover, Stoke Mandeville, Quainton and elsewhere whose best laid plans will have been derailed by the HS2 announcement in March.
Whether they are looking to sell-up and retire to the coast, or move into a bigger home to start a family, they are all victims of something that is no fault of their own.
So it is right that campaigners are calling for better compensation from the Government for those whose homes are blighted.
Surely anyone who is now unable to move – or has to slash the asking price by more than a quarter – should be entitled to help.
After all, they are not seeking to make a gain out of the proposals, but simply to be able to sell the property they have worked so hard to pay for at the going rate before the HS2 bombshell was dropped.
Such a scheme will of course be more expensive to the Government.
But when it is planning to spend 30 billion on a line up to Manchester (and we all know that budgets can only go up), then surely a few extra million to help those in need can be justified?
Indeed, the money argument is certainly the protesters' greatest weapon against HS2.
With the new Government talking of the public sector being sliced and school rebuilding programmes scrapped, surely now is not the time to be spending so much money on a showpiece project?
Campaigners are right to try and spread this message nationwide as the implications of spending such a fortune will hit people in Brighton or Norwich just as much as here in Bucks.
Unfortunately, it seems all three parties have almost trapped themselves into supporting HS2.
It was the Labour government who came up with the plans with Lib Dem and Conservative backing, and the new coalition rushed into stating its commitment to it despite promising to cut spending in almost every other area.
They will fear a decision not to proceed will appear as a u-turn.
On a local level, Aylesbury MP David Lidington is also facing a similarly tricky position.
As minister he would be expected to vote for HS2, but has constantly stated his opposition to it.
He has now confirmed that he would risk his job and vote against the plans if it came down to it, a promise which his electorate will no doubt hold him to.
Let us hope the Government can make a brave decision so that he does not have to.
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Weather for Aylesbury
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
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