The much-trumpeted £42 billion HS2 high-speed rail link between Yorkshire and London might shave journey times down a little, but it will do nothing for businesses in Bradford. Or, at least, that’s the over-riding view put forward in a survey carried out by the Bradford Chamber of Commerce among its members, and it is difficult to disagree.

Naturally, Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan is urging businesses to get behind HS2. But to borrow a well-worn phrase: he would say that, wouldn’t he?

Leeds will be one of the northern hubs for the HS2 and, while it isn’t a million miles away from Bradford, it might as well be for all the difference the hugely costly new project would make to this district.

Even if the HS2 scheme were to come to Bradford, there are still doubts among local businesses whether this is the best use of such a massive amount of money.

There is plenty of existing transport infrastructure that would be better served by being upgraded and improved. Bradford’s roads are struggling to cope with the amount of traffic on them and this is only going to get worse as more and more house-building is earmarked for parts of the district.

It is not parochial for Bradford businesses to voice their opinions in this way: they are entitled to refuse to blindly join in a region-wide support campaign for HS2 if they honestly believe it will do nothing for the city.

Rather than push ahead with this costly scheme, ministers should perhaps think again about how better the money could be spent to improve the lot of a wider spread of the population.