Top business leader says scrapping Cheshire's HS2 would be 'disastrous'

There's a plea from business leaders across Cheshire for the government to stay firmly committed to delivering HS2 in full through Staffordshire and Cheshire.

"It would be a disastrous decision, not just for our area, but for the North West, the North as a whole and the West Midlands." said Paul Colman, Chief Executive of South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce.

"Why would you consider pulling it when there are so communities, not just in our area, in Staffordshire, who are desperate for this infrastructure.

It's as pressure builds on the Prime Minister to clarify plans for the Birmingham to Manchester high speed line.

Speculation is growing that he's considering axing it altogether - including the proposed hub station in Crewe.

"The issues for Crewe and South Cheshire are that there won't be that opportunity for investment, for growth, 7000 homes, 30,000 jobs. If it stops businesses are unlikely to invest in the area and it'll be really damaging to our economy."

Labour mayors Sadiq Khan, Andy Burnham, Tracy Brabin, Oliver Coppard and Steve Rotheram gathered in Leeds on Wednesday to issue a joint plea to the Prime Minister not to cut HS2 further.

Ministers continue to face questions about the fate of the high-profile and expensive project, amid a political backlash over reports the Government is weighing axing the Birmingham-Manchester leg of HS2 over soaring costs.

The local politicians said that they were open to a "conversation" on the timetable for the project, but complained that the north of England was currently "in the dark" about the next steps.

Mr Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, warned that an adverse decision risked turning the North-South divide into a "canyon".

"We will have a conversation about timetables and re-phasing, but do not pull the plug on this infrastructure. Do not pull the plug on this investment," he told the PA news agency.

"If they build this line, not even from central London but outer London through the Home Counties to the West Midlands, basically it will become a permanent symbol of the places that Whitehall cares about. It would be a huge message to the north of England that we just don't feature in their thinking.

"And honestly, I think it will build a real groundswell of opinion for people here to say 'No, we're just not having this anymore, we're not having a country that is run like this'.

"We deserve equal treatment here in the North with other parts of the country and seriously I think Whitehall are really risking the cohesion of the country if they don't take a decision that is seen to be fair for everybody."

Ahead of the meeting, the mayors issued a shared statement to express dismay at the prospect of the UK Government scrapping the rail project's northern leg and warned that it would leave the north of England with "Victorian" transport infrastructure.

"Every effort should be made to keep costs to a minimum, but the issue for me is what would be the cost if you didn't put the infrastructure in place, and the opportunities to grow and generate income in various ways really.

Paul Colman added: "At the end of the day the infrastructure is needed for the next 100 to 150 years, so once it's in place you will continue to reap the benefits of that. At the moment there are no other plans that have been put forward that this money could go to if it's not spent on HS2."

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