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T5 - THE GREAT JOBS MYTH
In its propaganda BAA relentlessly uses the jobs argument to try and win over support for T5. It even claims that jobs would be lost without T5. But this does not stand up to scrutiny - a study of local employment by Berkeley Hanover Consulting showed that far from jobs reducing without T5, there will be a steady increase of jobs in and around the airport if Heathrow sticks to its current 4 terminals.
BAA’s evidence to the Public Inquiry shows only 6,200 permanent jobs created, even if one includes off-airport, ‘indirect’ and ‘induced’ jobs. This is minuscule compared with the total job market of perhaps 3 million in the catchment area of Heathrow, namely West London, Berks, Bucks and Surrey.
That T5 would have very little effect on employment is supported by BAA’s own evidence to the Public Inquiry “ The employment impact of T5 is small in relation to the labour market and employment changes which have occurred in 1989-91 and which might be anticipated in the future.”
Despite this, BAA have used the employment argument more than any other to try and win over support from the local populace. They are preying on people’s understandable fear of employment and threatening them with job losses it they do not support T5. In short, pure blackmail. Their evidence to the Inquiry, where their statements were subject to rigorous examination by experts and the Inspector, painted a totally different picture. BAA are two-faced and playing a cruel deceit on ordinary people.
Furthermore, with T5 likely to cost in the region of £1.8 billion, each job BAA says will be created will cost about £290,000 - probably the most expensive jobs ever.
