Today Greg Smith MP welcomed fellow members of the Transport Select Committee - including neighbouring MP and Select Committee Chairmanm, Iain Stewart MP - to Steeple Claydon and Quainton today as part of the Committee’s ongoing work holding HS2 to account.
The visit formed part of HS2 Ltd’s obligation to report back to the Committee on the state of the project, which remains significantly behind schedule with a cost that has ballooned to over £100 billion.
First the Committee met with local ward councillors, Parish Councillors from Steeple Claydon, Edgcott, East Claydon, Calvert Green and Twyford, Cllrs Frank Mahon, Angela Macpherson and Michael Rand, Buckinghamshire Council Leader Martin Tett and Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Transport Steve Broadbent and Peter Martin - to discuss the impact that HS2 and other construction projects have had on local residents, businesses and the Council itself. They discussed the unacceptable state of local roads, the project’s impact on the local economy, and the burden it has placed on Buckinghamshire Council who have had to find millions to deal with issues thrown up by the railway.
The Committee then proceeded to meet local landowners and farmers who’ve been poorly treated by HS2. They spoke of delayed payments for land, an overly bureaucratic process for claims, damage and careless behaviour by contractors.
The afternoon saw the Committee’s formal evidence session take place at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre in Quainton, where the Committee questioned the Rail Minister, Huw Merriman MP, and the CEO of HS2 Ltd, Mark Thurston, on what they’d just heard from councillors and landowners.
Greg said, "I’m grateful to everyone who gave up their time to speak with myself and the Committee today, we heard from a range of local voices on what has become a cacophony of issues caused by HS2 and others operating in the area that have brought misery to everyone’s daily lives.
"Testimony from landowners was particularly powerful, they have simply been abandoned by the project and have been given no recourse that even comes close to restoring the status quo. Their land is “temporarily” grabbed by HS2 without any indication of when they’ll get it back, all the while depriving them of vital income. This is unacceptable on every level.
"It’s vital that those impacted by these megaprojects have not just their voices heard but have their issues dealt with properly and with urgency. None of those we spoke with today asked for HS2 yet they are being forced to deal with the very worst, from rogue contractors to huge legal bills and flooded fields to severed driveways. You just can’t operate a business, let alone a farm which typically runs on wafer-thin margins, in that type of environment.
"I will never give up fighting for my constituents over this ridiculous railway project that no one wants and that we cannot afford. Bringing the Transport Select Committee here to Bucks forms part of that."
