AN Acton resident is among those trying to get the London Mayor candidates to pledge to create 60,000 green jobs and upgrade 100,000 homes in West London following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Aisha Hussain, 22, is the Associate Organiser for Citizens UK and is championing the cause for the communities that have been directly impacted by the job losses particularly at Heathrow Airport.

Hundreds of former Heathrow workers, along with some that are currently on furlough, have signed a petition warning about the devastating impact of the job losses.

The petition has a target of 800 signatures and is currently on 751, less than 50 signatures away from reaching its intended goal.

It reads: "We are a group of people in West London, including current and ex-employees at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and we are writing this letter because we are concerned about the loss of jobs in the area and especially those connected to, or at Heathrow and measures being put in place by employers there.

"We are now bearing the impact of the end of furlough scheme and the huge wave of redundancies.

"Some of our companies have made more than 450 employees redundant.

"Many of us are out of work.

"We are worrying how we will find jobs to pay bills, feed our families and keep roofs over our heads.

"The uncertainty is affecting our physical and mental health.

"We don't know what the future holds."

Aisha became involved with the campaign through her role at Acton Mosque as a young leader and has two goals that are driving her forward.

She told Nub News: "As a young person, what kind of future am I going into?

"It's important to create jobs that are long term, not just for today, but for the future, and green jobs does just that.

"I want to be part of an industry that isn't destroying the environment."

Aside from the goal of creating a greener world and help the environment going forward, the 22-year-old also wants to help 'build up' the local community and London as a whole.

She added: "I feel a huge sense of responsibility to help build up London, not just complain about it.

"Also, being a resident in Ealing Borough, having grown up here and being close to the community and local organisations, it's tough to see the impact the pandemic has had.

"This is the first time there's so much insecurity around the economy and jobs.

"I want to be a part of raising our voice and making the community heard."

Aisha and her colleagues will be presenting their campaign at the Mayoral Assembly on April 28, where the two front runners, Sadiq Khan and Shaun Bailey will both be present, and they will seek to get their direct commitments.

To view the petition, click HERE.