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BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Council spent £240k opposing Holyport studios project
A council that was opposed to a major film studios being built on green belt land spent £240,000 successfully fighting against plan for the complex in Holyport, Berkshire, was proposed by investment company Greystoke Land but Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) councillors rejected it in March minister Matthew Pennycook upheld the authority's decision to refuse permission earlier this deputy head of planning Louise Reid celebrated the decision and said it was a good outcome for the authority's officers. She said Mr Pennycook's decision was the first appeal the current Labour government had dismissed after deciding it would take the decision itself rather than leaving it to a planning inspector."That's a bit of a feather in our cap that we've actually got a dismissed appeal – so good outcome," she plan included sound stages, workshops, offices, footpaths, a multi-storey car park, a filming area, a new roundabout and a "media village" for post-production Greystoke Land's application, the government agreed with the council that the company had not searched widely enough for "reasonably alternative sites".The cost of opposing the studios plan was less than the £260,000 RBWM spent on defending its decision to refuse the Spencer's Farm housing development, which it lost last year. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Metro
18-06-2025
- Business
- Metro
HS2 is delayed again - here's how much it is over budget
HS2 has come under more fire today after the Government is set to confirm that the billion-pound scheme will be delayed once again. The railway line, which was originally set out to provide quicker and better transport links between the south and north of England, has been marred by delays, the cancellation of its northern leg and ballooning costs. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to tell Parliament later today there is 'no reasonable way to deliver' the delayed high-speed railway by 2033 and within budget. She will say she is drawing a 'line in the sand' on HS2 over 'constant scope changes, ineffective construct and bad management'. Matthew Pennycook, the housing and planning minister, said there are 'serious problems' with HS2 and it had made Britain 'an international laughing stock' and the Government is 'determined to turn that around.' Meanwhile, HS2 Ltd and its contractor Balfour Beatty Vinci have referred two of its sub contractors to the HMRC over fraud allegations. The companies allegedly hired employees working on the West Midland leg at inflated rates, according to The I Paper. Now, Alexander is set to announce two fresh reviews into the scheme which will scrutinise HS2 in an attempt to reset the ill-fated project. The first will be delivered by HS2 CEO Mark Wild, while the second review focuses on HS2's behind-the-scenes governance and accountability to decipher what has gone wrong and what can be learned so that the same mistakes can be avoided with future projects, including Labour's Northern Powerhouse Rail. HS2 Ltd, the government-owned company building the railway, estimated in June last year that the delayed project would cost between £54 billion and £66 billion. However, four months ago, MPs warned costs could reach £80 billion. HS2 will run from Euston through Old Oak Common in west London to West Midlands. New stations will be built in Solihull, near Birmingham International Airport, and at Birmingham Curzon Street. HS2 was meant to run to Manchester and Leeds, but in 2023 the Conservative government axed the northern leg due to spiralling costs, much to the dismay of Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham who called the move 'profoundly depressing.' For years, uncertainty surrounded the extension of HS2 from Old Oak Common to Euston. But in October last year, an extension was confirmed in the autumn budget, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves stating the government was 'committing the funding required' to begin tunnelling work at Euston station. Plans are now being drawn up by the government for the works, which are suggested to create HS2 and National Rail services under a single concourse rather than create two separate stations for high speed and standard rail. The first phase was initially due to launch by the end of 2026. Now the opening date has been pushed back, and is estimated to be between 2026 and 2033. The HS2 was given the green light to start in 2012 but construction did not begin until 2020. HS2 has purchased more than 1,000 homes, farms and land along the route to make way for the tracks. Residents who spoke to Metro previously said they were surprised at the speed in which the steel frame in the backdrop has been thrown up, but did not join in the derision that the massively delayed and over-budget infrastructure project has attracted. The National Audit Office warned in 2016 that the project was at risk of delays and exceeding its budget. But former Prime Minister Boris Johnson recommitted to the project in 2020 following another review. Leading politicians have now minced their words when it comes to HS2. Speaking to LBC, Matthew Pennicook, said: 'Because I think, frankly, when it comes to HS2, in some ways, we're a bit of a laughing stock around the world in terms of how we handle infrastructure. As a Government, we're absolutely determined to turn that around.' In a more scathing attack, Lord Tony Berkely said the project should still be stopped after 'chaos.' The Labour peer said: 'Rishi Sunak, after all, cancelled it 18 months ago. That was the previous government but everybody in HS2 seems to have ignored it and the Government's ignored it by continuing to pour money down it when they should have stopped 18 months ago and they should still stop today. 'They've wasted billions already. 'I think that the first thing to do is to stop digging when you don't know what you're doing and where it's going to end up, and I would put HS2 into administration. Let the administrators sort it out and then take a clear, simple look at what they want to achieve and get it done in a much more cost effective way.' The ticket costs could change wildly by the time the HS2 opens, but they are expected to be pricier than a standard rail fare. More Trending HS2 tickets could cost up to 30% more than standard rail travel, previous estimates show, but there are no official figures yet. The higher cost is likely to absorb some of the construction costs and factor in faster journey times. Inflation at the time of opening will also affect prices and whether the HS2 accepts railcards. A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: 'We treat all whistleblower allegations seriously and are continuing to conduct our own investigation. Furthermore, HS2 Ltd has formally reported the allegations to HMRC, and we encourage anyone who believes they may have relevant information, which could support our enquiries, to report it in confidence via HS2's Speak Out channels.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Another e-bike brand is set to launch in London this summer MORE: Traffic delays on M25 after multi-vehicle crash MORE: More than 600 EasyJet cabin crew to walk out causing chaos for thousands of holidaymakers
Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Times
HS2: Labour to confirm delay until 2033 after ‘litany of failure'
Angela Rayner is to face questions from the shadow home secretary Chris Philp as the prime minister is travelling back from the G7 summit in Canada. The UK has been turned into an international 'laughing stock' over the failure to control the HS2 rail project, a minister acknowledged. The housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook said there were 'serious problems' with HS2 'in terms of accountability, project overruns, costs'. He told LBC the way HS2 and other infrastructure projects had been handled 'reflect very poorly on us' as a country. Pennycook said the Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes a number of changes that will 'speed up the consenting process for nationally significant infrastructure' and this week's infrastructure strategy 'seeks to reverse the frankly erratic decisions and underinvestment we've seen over the past 14 years'. Mark Wild, chief executive of HS2 Ltd, is understood to have been astounded by his findings after he took control of the government-owned company in December last year. The source said: 'Alexander wants to turn the tide on the whole thing. Wild has been tasked with looking at the entire project and the speech today is designed to tackle these fresh revelations and look at how we move forward. 'There has been a total lack of ministerial oversight in the past and we need to change that so the same mistakes are not made on Northern Powerhouse Rail or the Lower Thames Crossing.' In December HS2 Ltd estimated the cost of building the railway would be between £54 and £66 billion in 2019 prices and between £67 and £83 billion in current prices. Revelations last year that HS2 had spent £100 million of taxpayers' money to build a bat tunnel shocked Westminster. Wild said that he could not apologise for complying with the law but conceded that an 'extraordinary amount of money' had been spent on the barrier, in ancient woodland in Buckinghamshire, to comply with the law on protected species. The transport secretary Heidi Alexander will tell the Commons that she is 'drawing a line in the sand' over the embattled rail project as the government tries to wrestle it back into order. The remaining section of the high-speed line between London and Birmingham will no longer be completed by 2033 and a delay of at least two years is now expected, according to reports. Alexander will present the findings of an interim report by Mark Wild, chief executive of HS2 Ltd, the company responsible for the delivery of the project at 12.30pm.
The Independent
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK politics live: Labour attacks Tories over ‘appalling mess' of HS2 with billions wasted and delays past 2033
The Conservatives wasted billions of pounds on the severely delayed HS2 line which will not open until beyond the deadline of 2033, the Labour government will say. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to to say she is drawing a 'line in the sand' over the beleaguered rail project after years of badly negotiated contracts and multiple design changes. 'Billions of pounds of taxpayers' money has been wasted by constant scope changes, ineffective contracts and bad management,' Ms Alexander will tell the House of Commons. 'It's an appalling mess. But it's one we will sort out.' She is due to announce the findings of two reviews into what has gone wrong with the project, as well as address allegations of fraud by contractors to HS2. The high-speed railway was initially estimated to cost £37.5bn in 2013, but in June last year, it was revealed that the line between London and Birmingham alone would hit £66bn. Housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook said: 'Frankly, when it comes to HS2, in some ways we're a bit of a laughing stock around the world in terms of how we handle infrastructure.'
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'That's Failure': Sky News Presenter Slams Labour Minister Over Huge Rise In Small Boat Numbers
A Sky News presenter accused Labour of 'failure' as the number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats soars. Nearly 17,000 migrants have made the perilous journey so far this year – nearly 50% more than at the same stage 12 months ago. That is despite the government's vow to tackle the problem by tackling the people smuggling gangs behind it. Housing minister Matthew Pennycook tried to defend the government's record on Sky News this morning, but presenter Wilfred Frost was having none of it. He said: 'Is it fair to say that so far, a year or so into government, that the government's failed in this area?' The minister replied: 'I don't think that's the case. We inherited an immigration and asylum system in complete chaos, we've got to restore order, but there was never going to be a quick, overnight fix on this, and we are taking action in a variety of areas.' But Frost told him: 'To claim you're rapidly bearing down, and to cite once again the inheritance, when we're a full year into your term in office ... and it's not like the numbers have persisted, they're 50% worse. Thus far, that's failure.' Pennycook said: 'I don't accept that. There's no overnight fix to this. We have to put in place the measures that will allow us to rapidly bring down numbers.' Frost hit back: 'Some people will be worried that you don't see it as failure thus far.' Darren Jones Admits He Was Wrong To Say Most Migrants On Small Boats Are 'Children, Babies And Women' Starmer Accused Of Dancing To 'Farage's Tune' With Small Boats Crackdown Labour Split Erupts After Asylum Seekers On Small Boats Banned From Becoming UK Citizens
