Supporters of Heathrow expansion descended on Kingston Bridge to tell Kingston and Richmond Councils: ‘You don’t speak for me, you have ignored my voice!’ after both councils (along with Sutton, Hillingdon, Windsor & Maidenhead, Wandsworth and Southwark) wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport, claiming they represent the views of over 1.7 million residents who oppose a third runway at Heathrow.
Aya Nouwailati from Richmond said: “How dare my council say they speak for me? They have ignored the voices of the silent majority. Many of my neighbours support a third runway and object to Richmond’s stance. Our councils have wasted over £2 million on legal challenges already. We need a bigger airport for growth and jobs.”
Kingston resident Roger Weizer, said: “I don’t agree with the council’s opposition to expansion. Heathrow has provided employment, training and apprenticeships for generation after generation - and contributed to the prosperity of areas like mine. Right now, Britain needs economic stability and growth. So giving the green light to a privately funded £49 billion infrastructure project is a no-brainer. Less politics and more common sense please.”
Parmjit Dhanda from Back Heathrow said: “Councils like Richmond and Kingston claim they speak for all their residents, yet local polling carried out across west London in the last 12 years consistently shows a majority support for expansion. These boroughs have a substantial number of residents who back a third runway and certainly do not want their cash wasted on yet more legal challenges.”
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Notes to editor:
Back Heathrow is an organisation that represents over 100,000 supporters of a new runway across neighbouring boroughs
· Kingston, Wandsworth, Southwark, Sutton, Hillingdon and Windsor & Maidenhead councils were part of the group of councils that spent over £2m on legal challenges against Heathrow expansion
· Pictures include pro-expansion local residents demonstrating on Kingston Bridge on Wednesday 16th September
· Photos include residents wearing tape over their mouths, to signify that they have been silenced by council leaders in this debate, who claim to speak for everyone in their boroughs.
Miles Bassett, Communications Officer