Recovery plan gets backing
COUNCIL BOSSES APPROVE PROPOSAL AS £1 BILLION SHORTFALL IN BOROUGH’S ECONOMY EXPECTED OVER THREE YEARS BECAUSE OF CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
A RECOVERY plan to buffer the impact of coronavirus in Hounslow has been approved by borough bosses.
A ‘One Hounslow, Forward Together’ plan sets out how leaders will tackle major economic and social challenges ahead, as analysis commissioned by the council forecasts a £1 billion hit to the borough’s economy over three years.
A report by consultant Oxford Economics finds that the total projected impact on Hounslow’s economy will be £2.7 billion for 2020/21, while new data shows 40% of the borough’s workforce are now either unemployed or on furlough.
It is expected young people and ethnic minority groups will be disproportionately affected.
The recovery plan sets out how the council will continue to lobby the government for an Aviation Communities Fund to support areas heavily reliant on airports and linked businesses.
It also works across themes of renewing local economies, empowering local residents, tackling inequalities and reimagining local places.
Initiatives include a Green Skills Academy, targeted diabetes and vaccinations campaigns, online therapy for 11 to 25 year-olds and expanding support for start-up and small businesses.
Another proposal was to create “low carbon, 15-minute neighbourhood models”, where residents could have everything they need within walking distance of their homes.
The plan was approved at Hounslow Council’s cabinet meeting on October 20.
Council leader Steve Curran said: “Hounslow’s facing some incredibly tough times ahead, the biggest challenge of our generation. To lead and support our residents and businesses through this, we need to do things differently – we need to come together, knock down barriers and work with a common purpose.
“Our Recovery Plan – One Hounslow, Forward Together – builds on the fantastic community spirit we saw during the first wave of Covid19. Its broad range of interventions to make Hounslow a fairer, greener, stronger borough embodies the spirit of collective focus and collaboration, of passion and enthusiasm for the people of Hounslow, that we will need over the coming months.
“Though the council, working together with our communities, partners and businesses, can do a great deal to support and empower people, the government needs to play its part too.
“Thousands of individuals and businesses in communities across the UK reliant on the aviation industry are facing widespread unemployment, deprivation and barriers to securing future work.
“These communities around airports, so impacted by the crisis, cannot be forgotten. Places like Hounslow need a targeted Aviation Communities Fund to help minimise job losses, support training to help people into new roles, enable investment in infrastructure and ensure a sustainable and green airport recovery.”
Councillors also approved the beginning of an independent review of Hounslow’s Streetspace Programme of various schemes, including the controversial Low Traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).
The programme was introduced to help people social distance, boost safety around schools and reduce air pollution. However, particular trials of LTNs have faced a backlash from some residents who say they have made congestion worse, and that the council did not consult the public before introducing them.
The independent review will include looking at the schemes after three to four months and again after six months. The consultation period is due to end on December 27.
Transport chief Hanif Khan said: “As a council we believe these schemes have the potential to bring real gains for us all – less traffic, cleaner air, a better environment, more opportunities to cycle, walk and keep healthy and increased attractiveness of the places where we live.
“We recognise a few schemes have divided opinion and we are keeping an open mind.
“We genuinely want all voices to be reflected in the assessment of the schemes, and we urge residents to make sure their views, in favour or not, are heard and inform the independent review process.”