The independent committee that acts as a ‘critical friend’ to Bristol Airport on key issues affecting its stakeholders has a new chair.
David Hall, a Somerset County Councillor for more than 13 years, takes over from Barry Hamblin as chair of the Airport Consultative Committee (ACC), which represents stakeholders’ interests, including local authorities in the vicinity of the airport as well as representatives of business groups such as Business West, the CBI, Visit West and the TUC and other interested parties. 
Bristol Airport’s CEO and members of the senior management team also attend meetings.
The role of the committee, which meets quarterly, is to exchange information and ideas and provide an opportunity for interested parties to better understand the airport operations as well as being a forum for concerns to be raised and considered by the airport.
Mr Hall has spent 12 years as Somerset County Council’s cabinet member for economic development, community infrastructure and planning and six as deputy leader.
He has also sat on Sedgemoor District Councillor for four years, was also a member of the Joint Authorities local government Implementation board and a board member of the Heart of the Southwest Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and is currently chair of the Somerset Rivers Authority.
Mr Hall said: “I am delighted to be appointed chair of Bristol Airport’s ACC and to be working with such a diverse and constructive committee.
“The airport is an important part of our economy and our community in the region. It is therefore essential that all stakeholders are kept well informed and able to contribute and engage. I look forward to working with all parties in the future.”
Bristol Airport, which prior to the pandemic was handling more than 9m passengers a year, is the UK’s ninth busiest and England’s third largest regional airport.
Earlier this year its plan to increase capacity to 12m passengers a year – up from the 10m restriction under its previous planning permission – gained approval on appeal.
The airport claims it will generate an extra £1.4bn for the regional economy over 10 years and create 800 jobs on-site and a further 5,000 around the region.
Approval for the expansion has been welcomed by regional business groups but slammed by most local politicians, including Bath MP Wera Hobhouse who described it as “short-term thinking and a refusal to face up to the climate emergency will have a catastrophic impact on our planet”.
