Reacting to the announcement made by the Government yesterday (Wednesday 5 October) on scrapping the northern leg of HS2, Cllr Denise Rollo, Cumberland Council Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places said:
“The decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2 is really disappointing but sadly not surprising. This is a huge missed opportunity, not just for Cumbria, but for the entire country. Just last week, I met with leaders from various businesses and cross-party political spheres at the Transport for the North (TfN) Board meeting where we unanimously agreed on the importance of completing both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) to truly revolutionise the North of England.
“Making sure Cumbria was featured on the High Speed Rail map was important to our region’s future growth and investment so the decision to withdraw the northern leg of HS2 without a clear alternative plan is genuinely disappointing.
“The pledge to ‘reinvest every penny saved’ in roads, rail and buses in the North is of course welcome and we were pleased to see a commitment to improving the Cumbrian Coast Line along with cash for pot hole repairs and resurfacing schemes as part of this. As a council we are now eager to work with the government to gain a full understanding of how the proposals outlined in the Prime Minister's speech, could impact on us here in Cumberland.”