HS2 bosses accused of 'fiddling the figures'

Those in charge of HS2 have been been accused of "fiddling the figures" by the former deputy chairman of the project's government review panel.

Lord Tony Berkeley claimed Parliament had been "seriously misled" over the costs of the high-speed rail line, adding it would be poor value for money and bad for the environment.

He also accused the project of being "completely out of control financially".

But a HS2 spokesperson said there have been many individual views expressed about the project, of which Lord Berkeley's was just one.

Phase one of HS2 is due to open by 2031 and will connect Birmingham and London with a second phase, running to the North West, East Midlands and Yorkshire, due by 2040.

Lord Berkeley's comments come after his 70-page, dissenting report into the proposal was published in which he listed several concerns, chief of which were the estimated costs.

The network was initially expected to cost £50.1 billion but the latest estimates put the price at £88 billion.

Lord Berkeley said independent analysis claimed that overall figure could be at least £107.9 billion.

Former HS2 chairman Douglas Oakervee was appointed by Boris Johnson last year to lead a review panel into the project on which Lord Berkeley was its deputy chairman and which was stood down at the end of October.

But in November, it was reported that Lord Berkeley had asked for his name as co-author to be removed from a leaked draft of the official panel report which called for the high-speed line to be built in full.

The official Oakervee Review report is due out this week.

Lord Berkeley told Sky: "I believe that Parliament has been misled because the costs were clearly known to the department, and I believe ministers, three or four years ago.

"They were saying they were probably over £100 billion. The figure which I believe is about right is £107 billion. It's an enormous figure and Parliament should have had an opportunity to debate this.

"This project is probably two or three times over budget even before the construction has started.

"If it were almost cancelled except for the bit in the Northern Powerhouse area and replaced by about half the investment on local services in the north and the Midlands, it would be much better for everybody who lives there."

Business leaders from across both the West Midlands and North West have hit back at the claims.

Midlands Connect director Maria Machancoses said: "Lord Berkeley's suggestion that the Government should consider building only small sections of HS2 in the north of England shows a disgraceful ignorance of how important the scheme is to the Midlands.

"Our region of more than ten million people stands to benefit the most from HS2, yet we are consistently squeezed out of the debate. HS2 must be delivered in full.

"During the Oakervee Review, we submitted swathes of compelling new evidence showing that integrating HS2 with existing networks can bring vast improvements to journeys for millions of people."

Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, added: "The chamber has consistently urged progress for HS2 and we condemn Lord Berkeley's alternative review because it disgracefully ignores the Midlands.

"The chamber has worked closely with partners to submit evidence of the unprecedented economic benefits that would accrue from HS2.

"HS2 will spread economic benefits away from the overheating London and South East economy and contribute massively to a low-carbon future."

Tim Wood, Northern Powerhouse rail director at Transport for the North, said: "While we appreciate Lord Berkeley's strong support for investment in northern infrastructure, we're concerned about the view that the North doesn't need HS2.

"More rail capacity and better connectivity will be vital if we're going to get people out of their cars and encourage more sustainable travel."

An HS2 spokesman said: "There have been many individual views expressed about the HS2 project, however we await the publication of the Government's official review.

"HS2 has provided full co-operation to Mr Oakervee and his review team and, if the Government decides to proceed, we have a highly skilled team in place ready to build Britain's new railway."