TRANSPORT Minister Jesse Norman says the costs of £625,000 from legal challenges to Heathrow expansion will be recovered from the unsuccessful claimants.  

These include the London boroughs of Hillingdon, Wandsworth, Richmond and Windsor & Maidenhead. The Mayor of London will also be liable for a portion.

Executive Director of Back Heathrow, Parmjit Dhanda, said: “This is embarrassing for local council leaders, who have played fast and loose with taxpayers’ money and lost it all.”

 “They should now get around the table and engage in the consultation process to help develop a regeneration project for communities to be proud of, whilst also tackling noise and reducing our carbon footprint.”

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Hillingdon Council leader Ray Puddifoot said: “The courts awarded costs of £250,000 in total against The Mayor of London, Greenpeace and the five local authorities involved in the claim. Hillingdon’s  share will be about £50,000.

“At the local elections last year, I said in our manifesto we would protect the health and wellbeing of our people and our environment against the damaging effect of the Heathrow expansion proposals, for however long it took and however much it cost.

Having been elected with an increased majority and having sufficient funding to do exactly this with no adverse effects on other services, that is exactly what we intend to do.

“Back Heathrow is a puppet of Heathrow Airport Ltd which has funded it to the tune of approx £5m in the past three years.”