Councils and business leaders have urged Rishi Sunak not to scrap the northern leg of HS2, claiming Cheshire and Warrington could lose a combined £2bn a year and 27,000 jobs.

The controversial rail project was due to be built in three phases, with the first from London to the Midlands, the second from Midlands to Crewe (2a) and the third from Crewe to Manchester (2b).

But, speculation is rife the Prime Minister and Chancellor want to scrap all sections of the project north of Birmingham amid rising costs.

Cheshire West council leader Louise Gittins, Warrington Council leader Russ Bowden and Cheshire East leader Sam Corcoran have urged Rishi Sunak not to scrap the northern leg of HS2 (Belinda Ryan).

In an open letter signed by Cheshire East leader Sam Corcoran, Cheshire West and Chester leader Louise Gittins, Russ Bowden, leader of Warrington Borough Counciland Clare Hayward MBE, Chair of Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), they have urged the Prime Minister to retain the Birmingham-Manchester section of the high speed rail project.

According to the letter:

• Crewe, due to be home to a new commercial hub surrounding Crewe station, 'would be particularly badly affected by cancellation or significant delay to HS2'.
• HS2 was a 'a once in a generation opportunity to level up' Crewe, delivering nearly 5000 new jobs and adding £750 million per annum to the town's economy.
• In Chester 'as a direct consequence of the improved connectivity offered by HS2', Cheshire West and Chester Council has been working with Government owned London & Continental Railways (LCR) on a vision and development framework that would 'deliver significant regeneration and development around Chester Station'.
• And Warrington Borough Council was 'identifying the opportunities and benefits' for the area around Bank Quay station which comprises 112 hectares and is the second largest project on HS2/ Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) outside of London. It would deliver one third of the housing the borough needs in the next 30 years and deliver in excess of £2bn per annum of direct economic benefits and enable high-speed rail links between Liverpool and Manchester utilising existing latent infrastructure.

The letter said: "Cancellation of HS2 would have a significant impact on private sector confidence in Cheshire and Warrington and throw away the opportunities the line offers to grow the economy and level up under-performing parts of the North".

It added: "History has shown time and again that committing to investment in major infrastructure pays dividends.

HS2 phase 2a's opening date has already been pushed back from 2033 to between 2035 and 2041 (Jan Roberts).

"Whilst large-scale projects will always be challenging to deliver, they bring significant long-term economic benefits. It is essential, therefore, that HS2 and NPR (Northern Powerhouse Rail) are delivered in full as quickly as possible."

READ MORE: Crewe MP urges government to complete HS2 project in full.

HS2 phase 2a's opening date has already been pushed back from 2033 to between 2035 and 2041.

Crewe West Labour councillor and Crewe and Nantwich MP candidate, Connor Naismith, told Nub News: "Whatever you think of HS2, we can all agree the continued uncertainty around this project is now damaging investor confidence and damaging the north of England.

"The government should stop governing by speculation and tell us what they propose to do.

"Rishi Sunak is understandably keen to ditch the 'Inaction Man' label, but that wasn't an invitation by anyone to act by scrapping major infrastructure projects and weakening our transition to net zero.

Crewe West Labour councillor and Crewe and Nantwich MP candidate, Connor Naismith (Cheshire East Council).

"I want to see HS2 delivered in full and will continue to make the case for the economic benefits to towns like Crewe that have been hamstrung for decades."

On September 27, South Cheshire Chamber chief executive, Paul Colman, met with Chamber of Commerce leaders in Birmingham and Greater Manchester to formulate a coordinated response.  

He added: "For years now high speed rail has been hailed the economic saviour of Crewe and surrounding towns.

"Businesses have been keen to relocate to South Cheshire and already we are seeing the benefits of inward investment. 

"With speculation now mounting over the project being scrapped, we are concerned that interest will quickly dry up. 

outh Cheshire Chamber chief executive, Paul Colman, at Crewe Railway Station (Jan Roberts).

"That will be disastrous for our local area, depriving generations to come of job opportunities and improved life chances."

No final decision has yet been made for the potential scrapping of the HS2 Northern leg.

READ MORE: Crewe convenience store hit with two-star food hygiene rating.

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