NORTH Oxfordshire MP Victoria Prentis has claimed she would defy David Cameron over her opposition to HS2.
In an interview with the Oxford Mail, the Banbury politician said she would not back down on the high speed rail link, despite most Conservative MPs supporting the scheme.
The railway’s construction could see hundreds of HGVs travelling through Banbury and up the A361, through neighbouring villages, every day.
When asked on what issues she would vote against the government, and the Prime Minister, she said: “Definitely when it comes to HS2. A lot of people in my constituency have been very upset about this and I want to support them.”
The MP has previously called for a restriction on vehicle numbers during construction of the high speed rail link.
She added: “I’m concerned about the traffic going through Banbury and it means the whole area could be blocked while construction is going on. It is blindingly obvious that two HGVs cannot pass on some of these A roads.
“Part of the problem is that the people in charge of the scheme do not foresee these problems until they are faced with them.
“This is one of the problems we have had since the beginning. They have been able to think about things at leisure but they have been thrust into these problems at the last minute.
“I have been talking to Oxfordshire County Council about places like South Newington, and Wardington is another area I am very concerned about.
“We have an area that is changing with a huge level of development and HS2 is another layer on top of that.”
Ms Prentis said a possible solution could be creating a “conveyor belt”-style track running near to the HS2 line to transfer spoil, rather than drive it through villages.
She added: “There has been a lot of growth though in both Bicester and Banbury. We now have a local plan and we must make sure we stick to it.
“I want more money to be spent on infrastructure, and I’m asking for more to be given for new schools and roads.”
The first phase of HS2 will involve going through the Chilterns to Birmingham.
The mum of two also spoke about her first few months as an MP, after being elected last May.
She said: “I used to go up to London a lot for work, but the hours we work now can be very erratic. There have been a few changes but I still aim to come home on time most of the time.”
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