London City Airport Consultative Committee: Undemocratic, intimidating and bully boy tactics

Reports of 'closed meetings'

residents who attend meetings and ask questions referred to as 'troublemakers' by Dennis James (the representative for Custom House and Canning Town Community Forum) and whom stated 'we want to keep these troublemakers out'

suggestion by committee that changing the constitution will be the way to stop residents with awkward questions attending, and the intention to stop anybody other than committee reps attending the meetings.

committee chair, John Adshead shouting at resident to 'get out of meeting' as it was a 'closed meeting' despite the resident attendee having been shown in by staff.

STOP PRESS: Private Eye's - Smart Alec

In the latest edition of Private Eye (28 Nov 08) you will find a rather interesting article in the 'Rotten Boroughs' section, p13 entitled 'Smart Alec'. Your local newsagent will happily sell you a copy of the genius publication for £1.50.

Regular readers of the Eye will be aware that Newham Council and Sir Robin Wales are a frequent feature in the Rotten Boroughs section - which is indicative of the less than healthy activities and interests that the local council seems to be happy to be promote and be part of. Other names mentioned are : Hill & Knowlton and Boris, Mayor of London.

"SMART ALEC"

"Last month Newham council voted in favour of allowing London City Airport to increase flights from 80,000 to 120,000 a year - an extra 150 flights a day. The protests of east London residents worried about noise , pollution and global warming were brushed aside. Anti-airport campaigners were dismayed at the about-turn of London mayor Boris Johnson, who had said he opposed the airport's expansion and then said he was actually in favour of it.

Newham labour councillor and City Airport consultative committee member Alec Kellaway is a big supporter of the airport, faithfully following the line of Newham mayor "Sir" Robin Wales that it is "good for jobs" andhelps regenerate the area. Alas , very little of the business that comes through the airport actually stays in the borough - although there are oppurtunities for cleaners.

City Airport earlier this year hired big-hitting PR firm Hill & Knowlton to spin its case. H&K is owned by the US media/PR conglomerate WPP - in which according to Newham council's register of members interests , Cllr Alec Kellaway happens to own shares worth more than £25,000. No conflict of interest there , then."

Time to Cry Wolf - Why Not to Trust London City Airport

In the recent article by Bloomberg, Thomas Penny stated:

Before the airport opened in 1987, developers said it would be limited to 36,500 propeller-plane flights a year. Opponents who said there could be as many as 200 flights a day were denounced as ``wholly unrealistic.'' The latest expansion application calls for an average of 329 flights a day, most of them jet aircraft, though the airport will remain shut for 24 hours each weekend.

Well, well..the airport has managed to come a long way since then - trampling over those assertions from the first public enquiry that there would be no jets, and no more than 36,500 propellor flights a year. What on earth happened??

We think it is quite appropriate to say, once again, that residents have been lied to and deceived over the past 20 years.

When FTF recently posted an article regarding the first public enquiry (the item referred to above) and said that residents had been cheated and deceieved - the secretary of LCACC questioned the value of making reference to the inquiry at all. Now we are confused! We understood that he, and LCACC, are supposed to be 'independent', so why would he raise such a question - perhaps he doesn't want you all to know what the first public inquiry said?

Well, if he doesn't realise the relevance by now after 20 years of being on the LCACC then there's not much hope - and the long term residents of the Royal Docks would relate to that after having their concerns trampled all over. However it does indicate his lack of understanding for the communities around the airport - and that is rather dissapointing.

But there was one change, albeit it in a small way....in 1987 resident objectors concerns were called ' wholly unrealistic' now their just 'confused'.

LCA has trampled over all of the previous inquiries recommendations, with the support of Newham Council. It doesn't care about any of the residents affected . It takes no responsibility for the ongoing appalling levels of health (respiratory) or the persisting levels of social deprivation in the areas, and for a company which claims it has done so much for the area it is hard to find any benefit to the communities at all over the past 20 years.

LCA are only interested in one thing, and that's money - at any cost to the communities affected.

There might not be a consultation - but there is London City Airport's Consultative Committee

Fight the Flights has been busy of late, as you would imagine.

Although we knew about, and have been in contact with LCACC, we have only just noticed that the meetings they hold on a quarterly basis ARE OPEN TO THE PRESS AND PUBLIC. It's unfortunate that we missed Tuesday's meeting due to rather more pressing Fight the Flights business but you can read the minutes of all the meetings, and see when the next is to be held at:

http://www.lcacc.org/committee/minutes.html

If you are interested in attending the next meeting why not drop us a line?