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HS2 opponents say Wales' bonus could add up to £5bn

Money given to Wales as a result of UK Government spending on the HS2 rail project could add up to an extra £5.3bn on the total bill according to opponents of the scheme. Finance Minister Jane Hutt has acknowledged that the Welsh Government has already received a further £84m from the Treasury.

The funding is known as a 'Barnett Consequential' because it's allocated using the Barnett formula for working out the share of UK spending devolved nations should receive. The move has been welcomed by Welsh politicians for setting an important precedent.

But it's also been criticised by opponents of the whole HS2 scheme who say it adds what the call the spiralling costs of the project.

The award for Barnett money to Wales is a clear admission that HS2 doesn’t benefit Wales, it hurts Wales, the same way it hurts many other parts of the country. Northern Ireland is in the same boat and must now be due for a pay out too, and now this precedent has been set we are be talking about another £5.3bn which has to be added to the current £50.1bn costs of HS2.

As we have always said and as keeps being demonstrated, the costs of HS2 will keep going up and the benefits will keep going down. It is time to go back to the drawing board, scrap HS2 and deliver the rail infrastructure improvements the whole country really needs.

– Joe Rukin, Stop HS2 Campaign