High Speed 2 Ltd more than doubled its spending on communications this year compared to last.

In the run up to key milestones in the troubled rail scheme the company charged with delivering the high speed rail service between London, Birmingham and Leeds with a future spur to travel on to Scotland saw its communications budget  rise to £4,498,557 in 2013-2014 from £1,338,664 in the previous year.

The spending increase has at its source a  ratcheting up of activity in consultation with communities who are set to be impacted by the new high speed line with close to £ 4 million being spent in  the current year as against £1.17 million in 2012.

Other areas which saw spending increases include £89,000 being spent on ‘special advice’  – compared to spending only £6,000 last year – and  “collateral and film” costs that quadrupled this year from the £30,000 budgeted last year.

Both the HS2 web site and press office also received significant  increases in spending. Only opinion surveys showed a reduction in spending on last year -down from £36,960 last year to £4,536 in the current year.

Communication costs this year are at their highest levels since HS2 Ltd was created in 2009. In 2010 the communications budget for the company peaked at £3,02 million before falling to £1.48 million and £1.33 million in subsequent years.