Council Tax payers in Coventry and Warwickshire could be forced to help foot the £32 billion bill for HS2, it has emerged.
Council leaders opposed to 250mph bullet trains ripping through the region reacted with fury, and vowed to fight any demand to contribute to the colossal costs.
Coventry council leader John Mutton pledged to take the government to the High Court if necessary.
Conservative leaders at Warwickshire County Council also object to paying for a rail line which would bring “no benefit” to the county.
The proposal to force councils and businesses to contribute to the £17bn first phase of High Speed Two between London and Birmingham are in the fineprint of a public consultation document published by the government on Monday.
It states: “Significant numbers of individuals and organisations would stand to benefit from the construction of new high speed rail lines.
“This could include airport operators, businesses close to high speed rail stations and local authorities.
“The government expects that such parties would therefore make a contribution to the cost of those links.”
It is not clear which councils or businesses might be asked to contribute.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 12:48 pm