AS funding of the NHS, education and public services is reduced, as benefits and pensions are cut, and employment opportunities, especially for the young, fall, this government has chosen to rip up what remains of our countryside and spend £32billion (£1billion per year in interest alone) so that the dwindling numbers of those who can still afford to travel by rail can reach London that little bit more quickly.

Forming no part of a coherent transport strategy, any boost to the economy from this decision will come largely in the south-east, with regional firms – such as those in Malvern – that fall outside the HS2 corridor – losing out, It is an act of supreme folly.

JULIAN D ROSKAMS
Malvern