You asked why I was quoting £10Bn+ and whether I was cherry-picking a number to suit my agenda. Well, the range quoted by TfL was £10Bn - £20Bn.
When exactly were those figures given out and what do they include for.
I prefer to work from the latest consultation which states
For both Heathrow schemes, there is no Government road spend directly linked
to expansion. The promoter would pay for changes to the M25, A4 and A3044
and any local roads. The Western and Southern Rail schemes are at different
levels of development and, based on current estimates, could cost between
£1.4 billion and £2.5 billion together. The Government would expect this cost to
be partly offset by airport contributions, which would be negotiated when the
schemes reach an appropriate level of development.
Gross misallocation of capital is actually a good thing because the exchequer will collect afew pence in the pound as tax! The word desperation leaps to mind.
So you term expansion of LHR as Gross misallocation of funds now? Get a grip Shed. That's a bit extreme even for you. The tax will be much more than a few pence in the pound. (20% VAT, 20% Corporation Tax) At the current cost of the project the government can expect to recoup more that the figures quoted above in the consultation. Money which would then be available for other projects such as you state in you post (which I am all for by the way).
The estimate for the jobs created alone from expansion is 77,000. That's a lot of income tax. It is not desperation but economics. The project has a sound business case and should go ahead.