Mayor of Newham says city airport job losses are a devastating blow

Mayor of Newham says city airport job losses are a devastating blow.

In a statement issued today following the announcement by London City Airport that it is consulting on proposals which could result in up to 239 roles being lost across the organisation, the Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz said:

“The announcement by London City Airport of these redundancy plans is really worrying news, as it employs many Newham residents. While the downturn in the aviation sector is widely known, many of the airport’s employees live in Newham and these job losses will have wide ramifications for the borough, which has already been devastated by the impact of Covid-19.

“With so many of our households already in poverty, especially when housing costs are taken into account, the impact of the pandemic has already been significant.

“We fear thousands of our residents face the threat of redundancy as the national furlough scheme comes to an end next month and the Covid-19 recession kicks in.

“We have already recognised the threat to our residents and created a Covid-19 recovery strategy, Towards a Better Newham, which includes immediately putting measures into place to provide employment, skills, business start-up and financial support to affected residents. We will work closely with the airport, and any other struggling businesses, to support our residents in every way we can.

“This news is a stark reminder of the economic reality we face as the fall-out from the pandemic takes its toll on business and employment. The government needs to recognise the extra stress this will bring for people and families and put in place policies to protect them.

“We continue to call for an extension to the furlough scheme, an extension to the housing eviction ban and a significant overhaul of the Housing Benefit and welfare system so that it genuinely supports those in need and prevents rising levels of debt, homelessness and inequality,” the Mayor said.

Published: 18 Sep 2020