Latest news with #HeidiAlexander
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
HS2 bosses under-fire after spending £1,200 a MONTH decorating offices with tropical plants
'HS2 is the prime example of a quango being allowed to run amok given the extraordinary catalogue of waste it has been guilty of' LEAF IT OUT HS2 bosses under-fire after spending £1,200 a MONTH decorating offices with tropical plants Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 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'. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 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.' Our village's peace is shattered by 'hellish' explosions that shake our houses every night
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
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.' Our village's peace is shattered by 'hellish' explosions that shake our houses every night 1
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Latest HS2 delay 'extends the agony' says Northants villages
People living near the route of the HS2 rail project said the latest delay to the scheme "extends the agony" for Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, told MPs on Wednesday that there was "no route" to meeting the 2033 deadline, although she did not suggest a new said there had been a "litany of failure" around the work has been taking place in villages in south Northamptonshire since 2019. The only remaining section of the HS2 project, between London and Birmingham, was originally due to be up and running by 2026, but the deadline got pushed back to 2031 and then to latest announcement means villagers on the route in south Northamptonshire now know they will be facing disruption from the work for at least another nine years. The village of Thorpe Mandeville has been living with disruption caused by work on an access road, a site compound and a viaduct for some time Brown from the Thorpe Mandeville Parish Council said there were more headaches to come with HS2 waiting permission to close a route into the village that is currently controlled by traffic said: "It would make it a peaceful village, but for village commuting, it would make getting north damn near impossible." As a former parish councillor in Lower Boddington, Peter Deeley has had dealings with HS2 since the idea first surfaced. He said: "We've had nothing else but problems in regards to noise pollution, we've had inability to get access, we have the situation of air pollution - I cleaned my car yesterday, it now looks as if half the Sahara's desert is on it." Not far down the road is Greatworth Hall, where Stephen Adkins' family have been tending the land since construction of HS2 is taking place just yards from his said: "The delays are unbelievable and, personally, it just extends the agony."He said that, if anyone asked him for advice on living near a national infrastructure project, his "advice now would be just get out if you can because it has been miserable". The Conservative MP for south Northamptonshire, Sarah Bool, said: "I fully understand the frustrations many feel. "I continue to work closely with affected communities in Radstone, Greatworth and across south Northamptonshire to hold HS2 Ltd to account — pushing for better mitigation, timely communication and proper treatment of those whose lives and land have been upended."The BBC has contacted HS2 for a statement. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
North Wales Chronicle
11 hours ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Rail minister blasts ‘arrogant' HS2 over crisis-hit flagship project
In withering criticism, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill said the flagship HS2 project had gone 'badly wrong', pointing out the Government could not say when it would open or how much it would cost, which was a 'terrible position'. With new leadership in place, he pointedly remarked there would now be bosses 'who are communicative, collaborative, straight and honest'. Lord Hendy also noted his own Department for Transport (DfT), which owns HS2 Ltd, bore 'some culpability' and noted the most senior civil servant at the ministry had retired. His scathing remarks came after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said an interim report by Mark Wild, the chief executive of HS2 Ltd, who was appointed late last year, 'lays bare the shocking mismanagement of the project under previous governments'. The Cabinet minister said she was 'drawing a line in the sand, calling time on years of mismanagement, flawed reporting and ineffective oversight'. HS2 was originally due to run between London and Birmingham, then on to Manchester and Leeds, but the project was cutback by the Conservatives in power because of spiralling costs. The first phase was initially planned to open by the end of 2026, but this was pushed back to between 2029 and 2033 and will now be delayed even further. In 2013, HS2 was estimated to cost £37.5 billion (at 2009 prices) for the entire planned network, including the now-scrapped extensions from Birmingham. In June last year, HS2 Ltd assessed the cost for the line between London and Birmingham would be up to £66 billion. Ms Alexander said the Government has accepted all the recommendations of a review into the governance and accountability of HS2 Ltd, led by senior infrastructure delivery adviser, James Stewart. She also confirmed the appointment of Mike Brown as chairman of HS2 Ltd. Mr Brown is a former commissioner for Transport for London, who helped to oversee the delivery of Crossrail, the transport project which became London's Elizabeth line. Speaking in Parliament on the 'reset' of the high-speed rail development, Lord Hendy said: 'HS2 has gone badly wrong, and it falls to this Government to sort it out, because we cannot carry on like this. 'Currently, we can predict neither when it will open nor how much it will cost. That is a pretty terrible position to be in and it has to be said the consequences are as a result of actions taken by previous governments.' Responding to a question from his Tory counterpart Lord Moylan on criticism of the DfT in Mr Stewart's review, the minister said: 'My own department clearly shoulders some culpability. 'He asked what has happened in the department and, although I do not think it is not right to delve into senior personnel, he will, of course, note that a new permanent secretary is about to be appointed, the previous incumbent having retired.' Lord Hendy went on: 'One of the really important things in this is that, I think for the first time for a long time, we will have a chair and a chief executive of HS2 who are communicative, collaborative, straight and honest, and we can have a discussion with them about where this is going and what it is doing. 'One of the characteristics of this company so far, and of the Crossrail company for most of its life, is that they were both arrogant enough to believe that they knew what they were doing without any supervision and without telling anybody what was really going on. 'In both cases, it went badly wrong. 'Mark (Wild) knows that he has to change the culture of the company. There clearly are some good people there, but they need to be led and directed properly.'
South Wales Guardian
11 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Rail minister blasts ‘arrogant' HS2 over crisis-hit flagship project
In withering criticism, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill said the flagship HS2 project had gone 'badly wrong', pointing out the Government could not say when it would open or how much it would cost, which was a 'terrible position'. With new leadership in place, he pointedly remarked there would now be bosses 'who are communicative, collaborative, straight and honest'. Lord Hendy also noted his own Department for Transport (DfT), which owns HS2 Ltd, bore 'some culpability' and noted the most senior civil servant at the ministry had retired. His scathing remarks came after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said an interim report by Mark Wild, the chief executive of HS2 Ltd, who was appointed late last year, 'lays bare the shocking mismanagement of the project under previous governments'. The Cabinet minister said she was 'drawing a line in the sand, calling time on years of mismanagement, flawed reporting and ineffective oversight'. HS2 was originally due to run between London and Birmingham, then on to Manchester and Leeds, but the project was cutback by the Conservatives in power because of spiralling costs. The first phase was initially planned to open by the end of 2026, but this was pushed back to between 2029 and 2033 and will now be delayed even further. In 2013, HS2 was estimated to cost £37.5 billion (at 2009 prices) for the entire planned network, including the now-scrapped extensions from Birmingham. In June last year, HS2 Ltd assessed the cost for the line between London and Birmingham would be up to £66 billion. Ms Alexander said the Government has accepted all the recommendations of a review into the governance and accountability of HS2 Ltd, led by senior infrastructure delivery adviser, James Stewart. She also confirmed the appointment of Mike Brown as chairman of HS2 Ltd. Mr Brown is a former commissioner for Transport for London, who helped to oversee the delivery of Crossrail, the transport project which became London's Elizabeth line. Speaking in Parliament on the 'reset' of the high-speed rail development, Lord Hendy said: 'HS2 has gone badly wrong, and it falls to this Government to sort it out, because we cannot carry on like this. 'Currently, we can predict neither when it will open nor how much it will cost. That is a pretty terrible position to be in and it has to be said the consequences are as a result of actions taken by previous governments.' Responding to a question from his Tory counterpart Lord Moylan on criticism of the DfT in Mr Stewart's review, the minister said: 'My own department clearly shoulders some culpability. 'He asked what has happened in the department and, although I do not think it is not right to delve into senior personnel, he will, of course, note that a new permanent secretary is about to be appointed, the previous incumbent having retired.' Lord Hendy went on: 'One of the really important things in this is that, I think for the first time for a long time, we will have a chair and a chief executive of HS2 who are communicative, collaborative, straight and honest, and we can have a discussion with them about where this is going and what it is doing. 'One of the characteristics of this company so far, and of the Crossrail company for most of its life, is that they were both arrogant enough to believe that they knew what they were doing without any supervision and without telling anybody what was really going on. 'In both cases, it went badly wrong. 'Mark (Wild) knows that he has to change the culture of the company. There clearly are some good people there, but they need to be led and directed properly.'
