The four leaders of the main political groups at Cheshire East Council have joined together to pledge their support for Crewe's bid to be the home of the Great British Railways headquarters.

A bid is currently being prepared for Crewe to be the location of the headquarters for the new public body, which will oversee and manage rail in the country.

Leader of Cheshire East Council, Cllr Sam Corcoran, Leader of the Labour Group; Cllr Craig Browne, Cllr Janet Clowes, Leader of the Conservative Group; and Cllr Rod Fletcher and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group have released a statement together to commit to support the bid.

They said: "Today we are joining together to put our full joint support behind bringing the Great British Railways headquarters to Crewe.

"This is a huge opportunity for the town as well as the whole of Cheshire East, the wider county and region.

"Crewe has long been at the heart of rail and rail truly is the heart of this town – which was born out of the railways.

"While so much of our history is embedded in the railways, so is our present – with the skilled workforce, thriving rail industry and location benefits to help GBR realise its commercial goals and have the greatest possible impact here.

"Bringing the headquarters to Crewe has the potential to be a spark to level up the town and drive its rail-led rebirth.

"Crewe's strategic location and strong connectivity make Crewe an ideal home for the headquarters with the potential for the benefits to ripple out across the country.

"We are urging everyone in the town and across Cheshire East, Cheshire and the rest of the country to get behind us and help make sure GBR comes to Crewe."

The council is working closely with partners, including Crewe and Nantwich MP Dr Kieran Mullan, to develop a strong bid for Crewe and an expression of interest is currently being prepared for submission later this month.

Cheshire resident Nigel Britton was also confident about Crewe's HQ bid: "If the idea is truly to help regeneration of areas that need it, then Crewe should be the number one option.

"Based on the urgent need of regeneration and HS2, I can't see any other real contenders than Crewe."

A shortlist of towns and cities will then be announced in May, before a public vote will be held to give people the opportunity to show their support for their preferred location.

The Secretary of State for Transport will then make the final decision in the summer.