Hammersmith & Fulham Council are part of a group of west London councils that announced a joint economic recovery plan today.
The West London Alliance (WLA), which is made up of seven London boroughs, claims the plan is designed to help the 280,000 people furloughed in west London get back to work.
The WLA will seek central Government backing for its ‘Build and Recover’ plan, and has already established an Economic Recovery Task Force to deliver their strategy.
Chairman of the WLA’s Economic Prosperity Board and Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, Cllr Stephen Cowan, said: “Kick-starting the London economy is the way to kick-start the national economy.
“West London has been hit hard by Covid-19 but has the greatest opportunity to rebound. This is a bold and ambitious plan to protect and create tens of thousands of jobs, to skill up our young people, to drive innovation, embed a green recovery and help regenerate the national economy.”
The WLA, which was formed in 1997 and includes the boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow, commissioned a report from Oxford Economics that found the region was one of the worst affected in the country by Covid-19.
The west London economy, which pre-Covid was bigger than Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow combined pre-Covid has taken a 9% hit, the report estimates.
An extra 71,000 people claimed benefits in May 2020 compared to May 2019 and an estimated 29,000 to 43,000 jobs relying on Heathrow Airport have either been lost or are under threat due to the decline in the aviation industry.
The plan focuses on key areas including supporting the aviation industry, expanding apprenticeships, and making west London a leader in making a ‘green’ economy.
The plans will be discussed further at a virtual summit on 29 September, more information about which can be found at https://cwlgrowthsummit.co.uk/
The full details of the report can be found at https://wla.london/west-london-build-and-recover-strategy-launch/
Credit: WLA London
