Green Councillor smashes aviation myth

At the meeting of Manchester City Council this week, Green Councillor Vanessa Hall smashed the myth that aviation is good for the economy and in fact costs UK taxpayers £16.3b per year.

Nationally Aviation costs us £26.3b in tax breaks, health costs, the tourism deficit and noise reduction plus the unknown costs of climate change (20x the cost of prevention). This compares to £10b benefit to the GDP. Net cost = £16.3b.

In Manchester the Labour Council excuse their Airport favours by the dividend that the City receives from the Airport.
Compared to just the loss of income from tax breaks, this works out at a cost of £141.23 for Manchester residents.

UK Aviation is subsidised by £171.65/person. Manchester Council receives £30.42/person dividend from Manchester Airport. Net Cost = £141.23.

Aviation is extremely inefficient per pound spent at job creation. Investment could create more direct and indirect jobs elsewhere in the economy.

Cllr Hall asked the Leader of the Council when will this Council acknowledge aviation's true impact on the economy and begin a planned transition away from this doomed and inefficient industry into sustainable jobs and economy?

He replied with the usual rhetoric, but did acknowledge that the Airport didn't take account of it's share of the emissions from flights.
When he was asked about ending the unnecessary flights between Manchester and London, he said that it was in the Airport's long-term plans to end these flights.

Cllr Hall today said,
"I am disgusted at the pathetic excuses rolled out by Labour. It is no longer acceptable for jobs to be used as an excuse for this oil-guzzling industry. So many inudustries of the past have crashed with thousands of job losses. It is time to move to sustainable industries which added benefits such as addressing fuel poverty."