“We have been in dialogue with government for years now on Northern Powerhouse, presenting our documents, having meetings with ministers and what not,” says Susan Hinchcliffe, the Labour leader of Bradford council. “But, for the last six months, they went quiet on this. I couldn’t get meetings; I couldn’t get a reply to my email.”

Late last month the government’s long-delayed Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) for regional rail upgrades was finally published, almost 10 months late, confirming long-held speculation that HS2’s £40bn eastern leg from the West Midlands to Leeds would be scrapped and replaced by upgrades to existing lines.

The £39bn Northern Powerhouse Rail line between Manchester and Leeds via Bradford was also being scaled back and replaced by a £23bn high-speed line which skips past Bradford – the cause of great upset not just for Hinchcliffe but for other leaders and locals across the north of England.

But the level of disappointment is not universal, with a source close to the northern legs of the HS2 project telling Building that it is important not to lose sight of the opportunities that are still on offer, even if other work will now never appear.

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