A change in the law could make it illegal for councils to fight against HS2.
The new Local Authority Audit Bill could ban local authorities from opposing anything which is ‘established government policy’ – and that would include the High Speed Rail project.
The £42billion line has cross-party opposition in Hillingdon, despite successive governments insisting the plans will go ahead.
The Local Government Association (LGA) is campaigning against the Bill.
Spokesman Greg Burns said: “It would mean that councils could be banned from campaigning against government issues. If the government wanted to put something through and they do not want opposition, they could put it through.
“It is a threat to local democracy. They could ban councils from campaigning against HS2 or any big issues, like hospital closures.”
There are fears it could lead to HS2 campaign groups, such as 51M, a group of councils working together to fight the project of which Hillingdon is a member authority, and HS2 Action Alliance (HS2AA) being disbanded.
Sir Merrick Cockell, chairman of the LGA, added: “Councils have a proud history of campaigning on behalf of their residents, often alongside their local newspapers. It might be inconvenient for central government, but a community being able to stand up against unpopular proposals affecting their area is a key part of democracy.”
The Bill will be debated in the Commons at the end of this month.
