HS2 bosses under-fire after spending £1,200 a MONTH decorating offices with tropical plants
BOSSES at much-delayed HS2 spent £1,200 a month decorating offices with tropical plants.
The rail project's chiefs paid £4,819 in four months on greenery with Funky Yukka — described as specialists in 'creating flourishing workspaces'.
Taxpayer-funded HS2 splashed out on government Electronic Purchasing Card Solutions cards up to October 2024.
Plant firm Funky Yukka has offices in Stafford - close to the HS2 HQ in Snowhill, Birmingham.
Clients include Tesla, Amazon Jimmy Choo, Mango, HSBC and the BBC.
It emerged as Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander this week confirmed a delay to the project, which has already had its northern routes axed.
William Yarwood, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "HS2 is the prime example of a quango being allowed to run amok given the extraordinary catalogue of waste it has been guilty of.
"Politicians handed over control of one of the largest infrastructure projects in UK history to an un-elected body of bureaucrats and it's no surprise that having been given an inch they've taken a mile.
"Ministers need to take far firmer control over the delivery and spending of HS2, if they're not going to scrap it altogether.'
A spokesperson for HS2 said its Funky Yukka contract had ended.
They added: 'We are transparent about our costs and will bear down on unnecessary spend.'
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