Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources they will provide to compensate local authorities for their expenditure in preparation for the HS2 rail link.

HS2 Ltd has in place a series of Service Level Agreements with line of route local authorities which provide for those authorities to be reimbursed for the reasonable costs they incur in helping to deliver the new railway. This includes reimbursement for the role local authorities play in the consenting process, and in various other areas.

In the meantime, Network North has enabled the reinvestment of £36 billion in hundreds of transport projects across the country, and we will keep working with local authorities and stakeholders to deliver improvements in local communities.