Uxbridge residents and Heathrow Airport campaigners have hit out at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s response to potential job losses at Heathrow Airport.

Johnson, the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, responded to an email sent by one of his constituents, Ranjit Sihota explaining that Heathrow will be offered the same £8m grant as every other airport in the country.

The grant, used to relieve the pressure of business rates, works out as less than 7% of Heathrow’s £116m business rates bill.

Shiota said: “The amounts available are pitiful and will not prevent further job losses.

“As someone with a family member who was made redundant from the airport, the response by the Prime Minister shows that he just doesn’t understand airport communities and what his own constituents are going through right now.”

Uxbridge resident Oliwia Molinska, who has family work connections to Heathrow, added: “The Prime Minister needs to realise that thousands of jobs in west London depend on Heathrow, including jobs in Uxbridge. We need a fair deal for local people. His response suggests he really doesn’t know what’s happening in his own patch.”

Heathrow Airport suffered a significant drop in passenger numbers in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, and its losses hit £2bn as a result.

Whilst the Government’s Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until the end of September, has cushioned the blow in terms of job losses, thousands of jobs remain at risk.

Johnson’s response does acknowledge the issues faced by Heathrow, but campaign group Back Heathrow who encouraged Uxbridge constituents to email their MP and saw multiple identical responses, are concerned by the lack of direct action to assist the country’s largest airport.

Back Heathrow executive director Parmjit Dhanda said: “The massive pressure on airport jobs, with eight out of every ten flights cancelled, has left the community around Heathrow reeling. The budget has failed to live up to local and national expectations on aviation jobs.”

In his email, Johnson said: “Going forward, the Government is keen to work with the aviation sector in finding a stable and sustainable recovery.

"As you will know, we have already made available an unprecedented package of economic support for the sector to support them during the current crisis. This includes the Job Retention Scheme which has now been extended until April 2021, business rates relief and tax deferrals.

"While the decision to close our travel corridors will help prevent the spread of new Covid variants in the UK, the Government recognise the impact this will have on the aviation sector.

“In order to help limit this impact, the Aviation Minister has recently announced the opening of the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme which will provide £100m to support airports in England, protecting jobs and giving airports the best chance of rebounding after coronavirus. Grants of up to £8m will be available to commercial airports in England and will be used to help with business rates in 2020-21.

“The money, which will also help ground handlers, will shore up jobs and reinforce local economies. The Department of Transport has also established a Restart, Recovery and Engagement unit which is continuing to work alongside the aviation industry, including Heathrow Airport, on the immediate issues around restart as well as the sector’s longer-term growth and recovery.”