(1) Please sign our petition asking Southampton City council to state its opposition to expansion: www.southampton.gov.uk/moderngov/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?id=500000071

Please do this as soon as you can - the more signatures we get in the first few hours and days, the more people will start to listen to us! we need 1500 signatures to force the full Council to debate this, which is our aim.

(2) Please write to your 3 ward Councillors (find their email by putting in your postcode here: www.southampton.gov.uk/whereilive/addresslookup.aspx) asking Southampton City Council to object to the expansion.

In your letter to councillors you could mention the following points:

I am emailing with regard to the proposed expansion of Southampton Airport.  I am aware that the planning authority is Eastleigh, but Southampton City Council will be a consultee and has previously expressed support for expansion. I ask that Southampton City Council rethink its position in the light of Parliament's declaration of a climate emergency and the 2019 amendment to the Climate Change Act target for zero net carbon by 2050, by publicly stating that the Council objects to the expansion of Southampton International Airport.

Aviation is becoming responsible for an increasing proportion of greenhouse gas and other emissions.The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) identifies several aviation measures to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, including restraint on growth of airports.

Aviation growth both nationally and locally is inconsistent with UK emissions targets. In addition, an expanded Southampton airport will increase air pollution in our already polluted city, increase noise for those under the flight path with more flights and bigger aircraft.

There will be few, if any, benefits for Southampton residents (we get a worse quality of life to enable more people to fly – and nationally 75% of flights are taken by just 15% of people)

The promise of low-paid jobs is not enough to cover the cost to us, as Southampton citizens, of all the above.

More flights by a Green City Charter signatory will undermine the Charter and make a mockery of the Southampton Council's efforts to achieve a low carbon future for our city

Flights from Southampton are decreasing anyway, and if Heathrow is expanded regional airports will lose traffic, potentially making expansion of Southampton unnecessary.

(3) And finally, if you live near the flight path and are bothered by the noise of planes flying overheard please email "Noise complaints" at SOUNoiseComplaints@southamptonairport.com. You can do this every time a plane bothers you and they have to log it!

Thank you!