23 Nov Aviation Communities Summit 2020: From the Ground Up

‘Aviation Communities 2020: From the Ground Up’ will take place tomorrow, Tuesday 24th November.

Co-hosted by the West London Alliance and member borough, Hounslow, it will be attended by prominent parliamentarians and senior council leaders across the UK and highlight communities around airports who have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Contributors include Cllr Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council; Cllr Lily Bath, Deputy Leader of Hounslow Council and Cabinet Member for Housing and Social Inclusion; Minister of State for Aviation, Robert Courts MP; Shadow Minister for Aviation Mike Kane MP; MP for Crawley Henry Smith MP; Anas Sarwar MSP for Glasgow Central; and Neal McCullough, Associate Director at Oxford Economics.

Home to much of the workforce that powers Heathrow Airport, the UK’s largest private sector employer, the effects of reduced activity at the airport are felt particularly acutely for Hounslow’s communities, many of whom whose livelihoods depend on the wider sector.

Independent research by Oxford Economics forecasts that up to £1 billion could be lost from Hounslow’s local economy due to the downturn at Heathrow alone, and more than 40,000 jobs are at risk due to the wider impact. Official figures from August reported 40% of the borough’s working population – 72,000 residents – were either unemployed or on furlough.

Across West London, Oxford Economics puts the cost to the local economy from reduced operations at Heathrow at £4 billion. Major impacts are expected to be seen in other communities across the UK which have relied on airports and the thousands of associated businesses.

The summit is the first concerted effort to bring together representatives from aviation communities nationally and debate the challenges and opportunities to provide targeted support and intervention and the future of local economies and jobs. It is expected to see the formation of an Aviation Communities Task Force to call on the Government for an Aviation Communities Fund.

To register and for further details please visit www.aviationcommunities.co.uk or read the full Press Release here.