Shapps embroiled in lobbying row over airfield protection
James ChappleTransport secretary Grant Shapps has been accused of lobbying to protect Britain’s airfields from being redeveloped for housing.
The Sunday Times reports Shapps, an avid amateur pilot, has diverted time and resources towards championing private aviation.
This, the paper said, extended to setting up an "advisory team" to help airfields "engage with" and lobby against the planning system.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has denied the claims. "Claims about general aviation in today’s Sunday Times are misleading," the department tweeted.
"The transport secretary works to promote all aspects of the department’s brief, including the general aviation sector, which contributes £4 billion to the economy and supports 40,000 jobs."
Transport minister Robert Courts also came to Shapps’ defence, himself tweeting a lengthy rebuttal.
"Without general aviation - which includes training - there wouldn’t be any future pilots, never mind any chance of increasing the diversity that is such a focus of @transportgovuk’s work. GA is aviation’s grassroots and testbed of innovation - of course @grantshapps should promote it.
"As for this ’lobbying’ allegation. The ’unit’ referred to is within the regulator – the Civil Aviation Authority – and provides advice and support to airfields on number of matters. This isn’t lobbying government, but, yes, it is helping GA to thrive - that’s what government is there for.
"GA supports 40,000 jobs in the UK and contributes around £4 billion to the UK economy. Of course it is right that the transport secretary should work to help this sector. Saying he can’t just because he’s a pilot is like saying the roads minister shouldn’t drive a car.
"All this story amounts to is proving that @grantshapps knows his brief inside out, is passionate about it, and brings real expertise to the job. Most people would say that is a good thing."
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