Boris Johnson grilled over airport campaign

- 19 January 2010

THE BOROUGH'S green credentials came under the spotlight last night when London Mayor Boris Johnson rolled into town for a debate on the environment.

The Tory mayor joined a panel of speakers to debate green policies in front of a packed-out audience at the Kenneth More Theatre, Oakfield Road, Ilford.

The audience - some of who had queued outside the theatre for two hours to guarantee their seats at the lively debate - got the chance to grill the mayor on everything from transport and recycling to why he was drinking from a plastic water bottle.

Mr Johnson said the event was the most well attended public consultation he had held so far.

He praised Ilford Fire Station, which has recently brought in a range of eco-friendly measures including solar panels and an energy-efficient boiler, and added: "People also care deeply about their local environment.

"They want to see it cleaner and greener and more beautiful."

High on the agenda of the session was the campaign to halt the expansion of London City Airport, which last week saw campaigners get permission to take their fight to the High Court after their case that residents in areas such as Wanstead were being adversely affected was considered "arguable".

The mayor was accused of failing to "call-in" the decision by Newham Council but argued that he had no power to do so.

He pledged his support for an inquiry into the issue after a majority of the audience responded to a show of hands on whether their quality of life had been affected by the increase in flights, adding: "Consider me alerted and lobbied about this."

Other speakers on the panel included Neil Sinden, from the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Mayor's environmental advisor Isabel Dedring, Redbridge Council leader Cllr Keith Prince, Jenny Bates from Friends of the Earth, Observer journalist and The One Show's green guru Lucy Seigle and London Assembly politician and chairman of the environmental committee Murad Qureshi.

For full coverage of the debate see this week's Recorder.