To receive any apologies for absence

None.

To receive any declarations of interest

None.

To consider the minutes Part I of the meeting held on 16 April 2015

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the Part I minutes of the meeting of the Sub Committee held on 16 April 2015 be approved.

To receive and consider the above report.

Councillor Dudley explained it was a very important decision for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead but it is not one that has been arrived at suddenly. The Council had been campaigning tirelessly for years to protect residents against the effects of any expansion at Heathrow Airport. The Council was extremely supportive of what was a world class airport and the Borough wanted a better, not bigger airport.

Cllr Dudley stated that since 2008 there had been seven motions to Council relating to Heathrow. In January 2015, the Council commissioned Ipsos Mori to conduct research in respect of the views of the residents of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and at that time, the research came back broadly negative on the expansion at Heathrow Airport and significantly positive on the expansion of Gatwick Airport. The decision on the expansion of Heathrow Airport was imminent and due any day, in July 2016 the Council wanted to refresh the research from Ipsos Mori which was included in Appendix A. The questions asked of residents within the survey were very straight forward. Cllr Dudley was surprised that despite the amount of public relations work that had been done, that over the course of an 18 month period from January 2015 to July 2016, there was very little movement in the views of residents. The research took place across the Borough and came out with the position that was negative against the expansion at Heathrow and positive on the expansion of Gatwick Airport.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead had joined together with the London Borough’s of Hillingdon, Richmond and Wandsworth; and the four local authorities together represented almost one million residents in the west of London. All four Local Authorities were united to protect those residents. There had been extensive dialogue with the government over the course of the last few months, and a letter had been sent to the previous Prime Minister in February 2016 which was also included in the report along with other correspondence. The Royal Borough and the three other local authorities were now awaiting the decision.

The London Borough’s of Hillingdon, Richmond and Wandsworth, along with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead had not arrived at the decision to request a judicial review suddenly, they had been building up to it reluctantly over the course of the last few years but, it may never happen and Cllr Dudley stated he sincerely hoped the judicial review would not need to go ahead because the expansion at Heathrow Airport would not go ahead due to legal challenges, inability to satisfy environment and health and other significant factors that it wasn’t a choice to choose something that would never happen. So there was only one viable choice in front of the government at present which was the expansion of Gatwick Airport, which itself would still affect residents in that area and no one wanted to see people adversely affected anywhere but, it would only affect one  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To receive and consider the above appendix.

To consider the Part II minutes of the meeting held on 16 April 2015