Consultants the ‘gainers’ over third runway fees

THE UK Government has been slammed for spending an average of £10,000 per day on consultants and law firms in its efforts to decide where a new runway in the south east of England should be built.

The Department for Transport, headed up by under fire minister Chris Grayling, has shelled out more than £3.8m on external firms since the Airport Commission published a report in July 2015, naming Heathrow Airport as the best location for a new runway.

A Freedom of Information request by the Press Association has revealed that the lion’s share of the money has gone to financial advisers N M Rothschild & Sons, who filed four invoices totalling £1.46m, which were paid between July last year and October 2016.

Law firm DLA Piper UK was also paid £1.09m between August 2015 and October 2016, while Allen & Overy received £152,955 between January and September this year.

Professional services firm Ernst & Young filed two invoices worth £138,765 for consultancy work, which the Government made good between March and August 2016.

Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, who stunned the Tories by overturning billionaire Zac Goldsmith’s 23,000 majority in the Richmond Park by-election told the Press Association: “These are eye-watering sums, over £10,000 a day, to pay consultants for an airport people don’t want.

“I won a by-election in Richmond Park and North Kingston on a platform opposing Heathrow expansion. Local people have spoken but Theresa May is ignoring democracy. The people lose out and the only gainers are highly paid consultants.”

Ms Olney added that it is “patently clear” that the Conservative Government had frittered away taxpayers’ money despite deciding “long before, it was going to be Heathrow whatever the evidence”.

A third runway at Heathrow Airport was given the go-ahead by the Government in October after proposals to expand its existing runway, or build a second runway at Gatwick, were rejected.

The new runway could be in operation by 2025, but is expected to face fierce opposition from MPs.

A public consultation will be held on the impact of the third runway before the final decision is put to MPs for a vote in the winter of 2017/18.