Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 30
30
HS2 Ltd told us that there had already been significant activity from environmental protests at...
Conclusion
HS2 Ltd told us that there had already been significant activity from environmental protests at various sites along the Phase One route. Most notably, protesters tunnelled beneath land owned by HS2 Ltd at Euston. HS2 Ltd told us that this disruption had cost it in the region of £75 million so far and had an impact on the programme. It recognised that those living on the HS2 route did not choose to live alongside the work, and that they had “every right” to peaceful protest but told us that it was concerned by protests becoming increasingly violent and disruptive. It explained that there had been around 300 arrests and nine prosecutions as a result of protests. HS2 Ltd told us that it and its contractors were not really geared up to manage the level of protests that had occurred so far, and that it would other support from Government to ensure that it is addressed.71 67 Oral evidence: HS2 recall – pre panel, HC 178, Qq 24, 33 68 Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, An investigation into HS2 Ltd’s failure to communicate with a family about acquiring their home, HC 211, 26 May 2021 69 Qq 105, 108; Correspondence from Mark Thurston, Chief Executive Officer, HS2 Ltd to the Committee, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report, 29 May 2021 70 Qq 104, 108 71 Q 3 20 HS2 Summer 2021
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6: PAC conclusion: We are already concerned about the volume of complaints on disruption from the programme which does not bode well for the future as more communities will be impacted as construction progresses. 6: PAC recommendation: The Department and HS2 Ltd should write to the Committee within three months setting out how they intend to resolve the issues around community engagement and the environment observed by the Committee in this report. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 6.2 The department wrote to the Committee in November 2021 detailing its current efforts to resolve issues around community engagement and the environment. 6.3 Substantial improvements have already been made with regard to community engagement and complaints management. HS2 Ltd has observed a steady decline in the level of complaints received, from a highpoint of 268 in February 2021 to 123 in September 2021. Similarly, HS2 Helpdesk enquiries have declined from 15,598 in the first quarter of 2021 to 10,993 in the third quarter. This reduction has taken place in the context of increased construction activity throughout 2021, and may be attributed to new measures introduced by HS2 Ltd since the second HS2 6-monthly report to Parliament in March 2021. 6.4 For complex and/or technical issues, the department has established a small team of construction inspectors to provide an expert and objective perspective. The construction inspectors report to the HS2 Minister and the HS2 Senior Responsible Owner and support the assurance of the delivery of works along the route. They carry out routine site inspections and are additionally deployed to examine issues of local concern and provide an independent view for the department. 6.5 With the new measures already underway to improve HS2 Ltd’s approach to community engagement and with the right culture of respect and continuous improvement, the department is confident that HS2 can be an exemplar in how individuals and communities are treated when large infrastructure projects cause disruption to people’s lives. 6.6 Further information on the steps being taken to minimise and compensate for any adverse environmental impacts are to be published in in HS2 Ltd’s first Environmental Sustainability Progress Report. This report will provide a clear and up to date account of HS2’s environmental impacts and the important work that is being done to minimise and compensate for any adverse environmental impacts. Alongside this, HS2 Ltd plans to publish a refreshed environmental sustainability vision, setting out the future ambition for how the project will further support the government’s decarbonisation and nature recovery objectives.