Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Cheshire East Council on the potential merits of compensation for HS2-related costs.

In November last year, I met with Cheshire East Council and discussed the implications of Network North for Crewe. My Department and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities continue to work closely with Cheshire East Council on how the Council can benefit from the funding that they already invested in regeneration plans for Crewe, and from various Network North funding streams. In particular, Cheshire East will receive a funding boost of more than £2.2 million for bus services in the area, and an extension of the £2 bus fare cap to the end of 2024; it will also receive a £110m uplift over 11 years for local road maintenance, and is set to receive significant additional support from a new £4.7bn ‘Local Integrated Transport Settlements’ fund to transform local transport across the North and Midlands.