Agenda item

Report of the Town Clerk.

NB: This was also considered by the Planning and Transportation Committee

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk concerning the City Corporation’s policy on the issue of UK aviation.

Members noted that the policy had been considered and supported by the Planning and Transportation Committee.

RESOLVED – That:-

1.    an additional £10,000 be allocated to the Let Britain Fly campaign from the Committee’s Policy Initiatives Fund, 2015/16, allocated to the Events section of the Fund and charged to City’s Cash; and

2.    the following policy position be recommended to the Court of Common Council for approval:

The City of London Corporation is clear that the lack of airport capacity in the South East of England has been needed to be addressed for a number of years. Not only because it is integral in maintaining the City of London’s preeminent position as a leading financial centre, but it is also essential for the creation of jobs and growth across wider London and the rest of the UK.

Our own research backs this up showing that airport capacity remains one of the key factors necessary to achieve the forecast of 145,000 jobs being created in Central London in the next ten years. Furthermore, additional reports we published on the issue of aviation capacity in both 2002 and 2008 highlight its potential impact on the wider economic performance of the City. The latter found that 82 per cent of businesses regarded Heathrow as ‘critical’ or ‘very important’ to their organisations.

Following the publication of the Final Report of the independent Airports Commission, led by Howard Davies, in July 2015, the City of London Corporation supports the main recommendation for the expansion of Heathrow through the building of a third runway.

If the City is to continue to compete on the global stage then the financial and professional services firms based in the UK need to be able to do business globally. They especially need to be easily able to travel to emerging markets where economic opportunity is abundant. As the Commission made clear, Heathrow can provide that capacity most efficiently and effectively.

The City of London Corporation also agrees that expansion should not come at a cost which ignores the measures that the Airports Commission highlighted, in their entirety, which help address the negative impact on the local environment, air quality and communities.

As with the Commission’s view, we urge the Government to make a quick decision on the Commission recommendations and keep to their commitment on an announcement before the end of the year.