A coalition of councils, including the prime minister’s local authority, has served legal papers on the government for ‘unlawfully supporting the expansion of Heathrow’.
The prime minister’s local council the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, together with Hillingdon, Richmond and Wandsworth councils, together with Greenpeace and a resident of Hillingdon, have taken their Heathrow challenge to the next stage.
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PM Theresa May faces showdown with local council
After threatening action last month if the Government did not withdraw support, Harrison Grant Solicitors acting on behalf of the ‘coalition’ have filed a formal request for a judicial review.
The claimants argue:
- the Government failed to recognise the project’s ‘unlawful air quality impacts’
- the consultation held to make the decision was ‘fundamentally flawed’
- the Government should 'hold to the promise that a third runway would never be built'
Cllr Simon Dudley, leader of Windsor & Maidenhead, said: ‘The Royal Borough has been very consistent in saying it will hold Government to account for its decision and seek to protect our residents from the public health risks of an expanded Heathrow Airport.
‘Our involvement in this legal action seeks to achieve those objectives, and in addition our long standing objections to and manifesto commitments to resist the expansion of Heathrow Airport and protect our residents.’
Cllr Ray Puddifoot, Leader of Hillingdon Council said: ‘There are two grounds of challenge at this stage. In addition to our claim that there has been a significant breach of established air quality laws, we have also claimed that the Government has acted contrary to our legitimate expectation that it would honour its repeated promises not to expand Heathrow.
'However, it has been made very clear to the Government that we have fully reserved our position in relation to other matters of complaint such as climate change, equalities, noise pollution and the economic case for Heathrow expansion and that, if necessary, further legal proceedings will be brought in the future.’
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