Gatwick expansion will suck jobs out of wider regions

The New Economics Foundation (NEF) has responded to news that Gatwick airport is to start development of its second runway after campaigners lost a legal challenge to the plans.

Hannah Peaker, deputy chief executive at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), said:

“Andy Burnham has been clear that he wants to see living standards rising in every part of the country. But people living outside London and the south-east will not thank the government for persisting with this plan. Expanding airports like Gatwick doesn’t create new jobs — it displaces them from the wider regions, particularly from the domestic tourism industry which is a key beneficiary of spending outside London and the south-east.

“The UK is small country with a remarkably high number of international airports. People are already perfectly able to catch cheap flights on holiday or travel for business. If Burnham is committed to improving people’s lives, he should focus on supporting us through bringing down costs, rescuing our struggling public services and stopping the dangerous emissions causing the droughts and wildfires we see today.”

Notes

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