Staffordshire Council under fire over HS2

The Transport Secretary has criticised Staffordshire council chiefs as "short sighted" and "narrow minded" for rejecting plans for high speed trains.

The county council has joined Coventry and Warwickshire in rejecting the £30 billion plan, claiming it will bring no benefits to the area.

Councillors believe all the jobs created by the line, known as HS2, will be in Birmingham, and the county will just get the upheaval involved as tracks pass close to Lichfield.

The county's regeneration chief Councillor Robert Marshall has said the lack of stations for high speed trains in the area would mean people having to get to Birmingham before getting on the fast services.

But in Birmingham yesterday Conservative secretary of state for transport Philip Hammond said: "I'm disappointed...I think it's short sighted and narrow minded. It is about more than

'Do I have a station or not', it's about the prosperity of the whole country."

Lichfield Tory MP Michael Fabricant wants an inquiry into project. And Staffordshire County Council leader Philip Atkins has said that the authority's objection was based on evidence that suggested it would be only Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds that would benefit.

Mr Hammond was in Birmingham to look at Snow Hill station where a £129m extension of the Midland Metro is being built to link up with the new £600m New Street station.