With the cost-of-living crisis biting particularly hard in the east of London, London City Airport today announced a range of measures designed to help people both in the airport, and across its local communities.
The East London hub, which is set to welcome 3 million passengers in 2022 – rebounding strongly after the pandemic – is taking decisive action to support its local community, with fuel poverty in Newham amongst the highest in the capital and as the number of first-time users of foodbanks soars.
During the pandemic, the airport re-purposed its Community Fund to directly support local foodbanks. While the pandemic is receding, residents are now being severely impacted by the cost of living crisis. The airport will once again step in, this time with additional support for its long-term partner Community Food Enterprise (CFE), based itself on the airport’s doorstep in Silvertown.
The charity, established in 2003 by Eric Samuel MBE, will also benefit from direct food donations from LCY staff, and in a first for CFE, donations will be received directly from LCY passengers through the winter months when they are expecting demand to increase substantially.
Commenting on the support, Eric Samuel MBE said “I have been Chief Executive of CFE since its inception and I’ve never seen anything quite like what our community is going through with the Cost-of-Living crisis. Weekly donations to our food boxes at supermarkets have decreased by over 50%. We are delighted that London City Airport has taken the lead and is standing up for the community in the fight against food poverty.”
Throughout December, airport staff will also be volunteering at a range of community events across East London. Around 50 staff, from a range of departments and pay-grades, will support 7 local organisations as part of the annual “12 days of giving” period.
Staff will support events like the Ascensions Church Christmas Dinner in Beckton, as well as charities like More Life Home in Poplar and Hope Family Trust Foodbank in Barking.
This concerted effort to help alleviate the cost-of-living crisis across its local communities follows the awarding of £1,300 (on a full time equivalent basis) to over 500 front line staff, including those working in the airport’s security, baggage handling and customer services roles.
While the airport has awarded pay rises every year since 2010, and increased pay by 6.2% for staff in the last 12 months, the one-off payment is designed to help those who perform critical functions and who, in the main, have to drive to LCY to make early morning shifts.
The award followed engagement between management and the airport’s directly elected staff committee who overwhelmingly supported the nature and timing of this payment given the challenges the front line staff are facing right now.
Commenting on behalf of LCY, the airport’s Chief Executive Robert Sinclair said: “We have always prided ourselves on going above and beyond to help, however we can, our people across the airport, and our communities around us.
“This year, given the scale of challenge facing households across East London, it felt appropriate that we would seek to engage and involve two of the airport’s greatest assets, our staff and our passengers, in helping us to support our local community.
“It is my sincere hope that their contributions, alongside the £50,000 donation from the airport’s Community Fund, will help provide some much-needed support not only to individuals and families that need it most, but to the absolutely brilliant charities, like CFE, who will be so critical, to so many people in the testing months ahead.”
And commenting on the donation of £50,000 to local foodbanks, the Chair of London City Airport Community Fund, Duncan Alexander said: “The Community Fund is there to support East London. And, just as we did during the pandemic, we are looking to use the fund where it is needed most and the Trustees and I can think of no better beneficiaries than the amazing foodbanks of East London.”
