The Back Heathrow campaign, representing over 100,000 local people supporting Heathrow’s third runway, came together at a rally in the Brentford & Isleworth constituency last week.

Over four hundred union members, business leaders, councillors and local residents were in attendance to hear speeches from Heathrow’s Chief Executive Thomas Woldbye and Back Heathrow’s Executive Director Parmjit Dhanda, at the Gymkhana Club.

                                                                                                                                     

Their message was clear - after years of dither and delay, it’s time to deliver the jobs, apprenticeships, trade and £17.5 billion of economic growth that West London and the country needs.

Thomas Woldbye reminded the audience of the potential Heathrow expansion has to tackle the national crisis of young people who are not in education, employment or training. Whilst Parmjit Dhanda warned politicians not to “play politics with peoples’ jobs” and to take this once in a lifetime chance to create new opportunities.

Lindsey Olliver, Regional Co-ordinating Officer for Unite the Union attended the event, said:

"Heathrow is the country's biggest single site employer. Expansion represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create thousands more well-paid, unionised jobs. Unite wants local people to have those opportunities. If we don’t take this chance, those jobs will go to rival airports in Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris."

Sally Smith of West London Chambers of Commerce, said:

"This was a great event. Our Chamber works with local businesses in West London every day. We can only grow new jobs and opportunities in the area with a bigger, better Heathrow Airport. I hope that local and national politicians will share the ambition of the hundreds of people at the Rally for a Runway. It’s time to get on and build it.”

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