HS2 is to lose one of its most public faces.
Clinton Leeks, its director of external and Parliamentary relations, is to step down on Thursday.
The departure of the project's top spin doctor has been described by HS2 Ltd as 'part of a wider reorganisation as the company prepares to deposit the hybrid bill for phase one of the line between London and the West Midlands.'
The highly experienced PR man has been a regular face at community forums in this area, at The Barn Hotel in Ruislip and the Colne Valley Visitors' Centre in Denham.
But the £42bn scheme has had a horrible PR summer, in which one piece of bad news after another – on cost, on benefit to the country and on the environmental impact – came along.
The company paid tribute to Mr Leeks, who has Hong Kong airport and the Crossrail project on his CV.
"In his time at HS2 he has led a national consultation and engagement programme that had seven separate public consultations and six rounds of 24 community forums, along with an intensive series of meetings with local authorities, NGOs and businesses."
Critics might argue the community forums were little more than a smokescreen, to placate people in the communities HS2 is set to decimate, and which never really functioned as an information exchange.
Keri Brennan of Hillingdon Against HS2, said: "We have spent 18 months participating in community forums, along with lots of other community representatives who gave up their time and ideas for the benefit of the area.
"Sadly, HS2 staff did not take a single idea or bit of information from the forum to improve or mitigate HS2."
Lottie Jones of Ruislip Against HS2, said: "Our experience of staff working for HS2 Ltd during their so called 'community engagement' has often been far from positive.
"Clinton Leeks has been part of a team that has shown very little respect for local people and the very legitimate worries they have about how HS2 will affect their lives and homes.
"Hillingdon Against HS2 met with Mr Leeks on numerous occasions. We often felt, given his senior position in the company, his attitude towards us was inappropriate. We even had cause to make a formal complaint against him after one of our community forums.
"It is interesting to hear that he will no longer be working for HS2 Ltd since he seemed so committed to the project.
"The future of HS2 is very much hanging in the political balance and HS2 Ltd staff seem to be being 'shuffled around' much like Transport Ministers.
"We won't be sorry to see him go but would rather see the end of HS2 altogether."
