THIS week  MP John Bercow gives his views on HS2.

The second reading of the HS2 Bill was passed at the end of April, meaning that the Bill is now heading off to a special Select Committee for consideration.

As I suspected, although there are a handful of MPs who are implacably opposed to the scheme, the relatively small size of the rebellion from all sides of the House would seem to indicate that all parties are in favour of the scheme.

The next diary date for Buckingham constituency residents is 23rd May, which is the deadline for individuals wanting to petition against the Bill.

As you may be aware, this legislation is known as a Hybrid Bill, which differs from a normal Bill in that those who are affected by its proposals have the right to petition the committee on certain aspects of the project.

If you wish to petition, please take ten minutes to visit my website which contains detailed information about how to go about this procedure.

I have already assisted a number of constituents who want to take this course of action and I am very keen to help any other Buckingham constituency residents in this regard.

When this scheme was first mooted, I undertook to keep everybody who was interested informed as to the latest developments and their best course of action given the circumstances.

If you would like to receive these updates, please get in touch with my office who will be more than happy to give you advice on your situation, and add you to the database.

Although the situation looks bleak with respect to HS2 – a proposal on which I have consistently argued would only bring harm to the area – I am a firm believer in dealing with the situation as it is, rather than encouraging residents to bury their heads in the sand in the hope that it will simply go away.

Although my opposition to HS2 has by no means abated, my desire to get the best possible outcome for Buckingham constituency residents if the scheme does go ahead remains my primary concern.