HAS anyone noticed that estimates of the cost of the new HS2 high speed train line have risen from £50 billion to £100 billion?

There are other considerations of course, such as destruction of precious countryside and hideous disruption to many people’s lives.

I suspect that all this will achieve is to get people to London ten minutes sooner. Not much of a benefit to northern towns and I hope we will not be distracted by vague suggestions of placing a railway college in York or other large northern city.

Why are governments, local and national, so devoted to expensive and grandiose schemes? Perhaps simple things such as improving education, funding the NHS, and looking after disadvantaged citizens are not interesting enough. The money spent is not “government” money or “council” money; it all comes straight out of our pockets as tax revenue.

As it is our money, many of us feel we should be consulted and our views taken into account. As the chap on the TV advert says “Democracy is so overrated”.

Pamela Brown, Goodwood Grove, York.