Business leaders tell Westminster to ‘back and build’ HS2 East Mids leg
Prominent business figures from the East Midlands have signed an open letter calling on party leaders to publicly commit to completing HS2 Phase Two, alongside counterparts in the West Midlands and the North of England.
Midlands Connect, Midlands Engine, Northern Powerhouse Partnership and Core Cities UK are urging Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn, Vince Cable and Nicola Sturgeon to “offer their unwavering support” to the project, explaining it is “the only way to ensure the country benefits fully from a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive regional economic growth and rebalance the economy”.
The high profile figures who have signed the letter include: East Midlands Airport managing director Karen Smart; Elizabeth Fagan, managing director of Boots UK and chair of D2N2 LEP, Ian Morgan, director of bus and tram operator Wellglade Group; council leaders in Derby, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, and Scott Knowles, chief executive, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire).
How the HS2 Toton hub could look
The open letter says: “HS2 Phase Two will extend the benefits of this vital piece of infrastructure to more than 25 million people – over a third of the UK’s population – across the East Midlands, the North and Scotland. These people and places should not be denied the job and growth opportunities that HS2 brings. It must continue beyond Birmingham.
“Our support must not flounder or stall. We must unite to deliver HS2 in full, and we urge you to join us by offering your vocal and unwavering support. Help make HS2 happen for everyone, and help us all achieve our full potential.
“To our party leaders we say – back it, build it, benefit from it.”
HS2 Phase One, connecting London to the West Midlands, received Royal Assent in 2017 and construction is underway. Phases 2a and 2b, connecting the West Midlands to the East Midlands, Crewe, Manchester, South Yorkshire and Leeds, still require parliamentary backing to proceed. Phase 2a is scheduled to receive Royal Assent before the end of 2019, with Phase 2b following in early 2023.
Supporters of the East Midlands Hub station at Toton say it is is expected to generate £4bn a year for the East Midlands economy and generate 74,000 new jobs. In October 2018, the government pledged to create a locally-led development body to maximise the benefits of HS2.
The open letter comes as MPs, business and civic leaders from the East Midlands are uniting with others from across the country today (Thursday 24th January) for a parliamentary reception at Westminster to intensify their unequivocal support for HS2. The event will be chaired by Lilian Greenwood, MP for Nottingham South and Chair of the Transport Committee, and attended by Allan Cook in his first public engagement as Chairman of HS2.
