Cheshire East has slammed the 'devastating' decision to scrap HS2 north of Birmingham, adding the council has already committed £11.2m to long-term plans based around five to seven high-speed trains per hour stopping in Crewe.

The council is now urging the government to provide assurance that Cheshire East will be provided with sufficient funding from the £36bn saving to enable new transport projects and equivalent economic growth.

Council leader Sam Corcoran (Lab) said: "Today's announcement from government is extremely worrying and disappointing and has significant and far-reaching impacts on the council's plans, our communities and businesses, and the North as a whole.

"The council has long supported the principle of HS2 and its core objectives to connect the largest economic regions across the UK, and we have already invested and committed significant funds and resource through our efforts to maximise the benefits and opportunities of HS2 to Crewe and Manchester.

"Investment in the full HS2 western leg to Crewe and Manchester would improve places and prosperity across the region and be the vital economic backbone to unlock growth, regeneration, and new jobs – delivering opportunities and benefits for generations to come.

"Phase 2a and 2b are also critical to delivering levelling up to places like Crewe – where half of the council wards are in the top 10 per cent most deprived in the country.

"But today's U-turn from government will result in levelling down, not up, and is a devastating blow to Crewe, Cheshire East, and the wider region."

He added: "We of course need time to understand the full scale of the impact of government's announcement. But the council has already committed £11.2m to long-term plans based around five to seven high-speed trains per hour stopping in Crewe, knowing that the eventual economic benefits would have been far greater, and local regeneration plans are already under construction.

"In Crewe alone, HS2 would unlock nearly 5,000 new jobs, 4,500 new homes and boost the local economy by £750m.

"This was a once in a lifetime opportunity which has now been pulled from underneath us."

The council leader said Cheshire East will be working with others across the North to make the case to government to reconsider its decision.

Deputy Cheshire East leader Craig Browne (Ind) said: "HS2 is not about speed or a fast train to London, it is about freeing up capacity across our congested northern rail network so that we can get the regular, reliable services upon which our businesses, commuters and visitors expect and deserve.

"It is important for an integrated sustainable transport strategy for Cheshire East and the sub region.

"It is also about economic growth and levelling up, with HS2 estimated to boost the economy of Cheshire and Warrington by £2bn per annum alone – a hugely significant sum.

"That is why for more than a decade, the council has worked collaboratively and constructively with Government on its plans for HS2 north of Birmingham and has developed the Crewe Hub vision – based on the HS2 promises government has made to Crewe and Cheshire East.

"This includes recent commitments to identify and undertake design work on the interventions needed at Crewe Station, with the Department for Transport funding a study on urgent infrastructure requirements, which took place just a few weeks ago.

"As a result of today's announcement, our ambitious plans for growth will no longer be viable and it is a fresh burden on already extremely stretched council resources."

Conservative group leader Janet Clowes told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I'm deeply disappointed that HS2 to Manchester has been cancelled this morning. This has major implications for the regeneration of Crewe and, not least I have spent the last seven/eight years working with HS2 Ltd, with government officials, with local residents, to ensure as much mitigation in terms of impacts of the line through our region but also the benefits to the wider area of Cheshire East could be best realised."

She added: "Today's announcement is disappointing but I do understand governments have to take difficult decisions and the costs of HS2 were spiralling out of control and that is something that the national situation has to be cognisant of."

Local MPs Kieran Mullan and Esther McVey have also shared their opinions on the scrapped HS2 project. Macclesfield MP David Rutley has been contacted for comment.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, speaking at the annual Tory conference in Manchester said: "I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project and in its place we will reinvest every single penny (£36 billion) in hundreds of new transport projects."

This announcement was met from cheers and applause from the conference audience in Manchester. 

Mr Sunak continued: "Every region outside of London will receive the same or more government investment than they would have done under HS2, with quicker results".

Outside of elected Council Members, local opinion has been negative. While many Macclesfield Nub News readers welcomed the news and believed that it would not have given any economic boost to Macclesfield, local politicians have also acknowledged the current scenario it brings.

Councillor Trevor Priestman of Macclesfield Liberal Democrats who serves on Sutton Parish Council said, "Like many people I have mixed views about HS2. Living in a rural village makes me more conscious of its impact on the environment. Nevertheless, the north has now been left in limbo and it remains to be seen whether the Conservatives will actually do anything to improve the transport infrastructure in our region."

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has promised at the Conservative party conference to keep the £2 bus fare across the whole country.