New group will be a rallying cry for outer London, says Labour MP

MPs from across the political divide have voted to set up a taskforce dedicated to looking at opportunities for London’s outer suburbs.

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Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for London’s planning and built environment were backed by cross-party support from other politicians last week to formally establish the group.

Established and chaired by Rupa Huq, Labour MP for the west London constituency of Ealing Central and Acton, the taskforce resulted from a parliamentary debate Huq secured that discussed the future of the capital’s suburbs.

Huq, who has chaired the APPG for London’s planning and built environment since its creation in October 2015, said suburbs risked being overlooked and neglected “at precisely the moment when the pressures of growth and austerity were challenging both that balance and those aspirations.

“There are those who champion the inner-city and the countryside, but a call-to-arms is needed for our suburbs as well. They too need champions.”

Huq said the launch of the cross-party taskforce was “a rallying cry for our suburbs and an important step forward in helping to shape their future”, she added.

The taskforce’s first report will be published next year.

The APPG London’s planning and built environment features five MPs, four Labour, including Huq, and one Conservative.

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