Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Mayor told to stop 'political point scoring' in row over funding for rescue plan

In a letter, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the government is providing the region with £30m a year – for 30 years – through its Gainshare fund and it is “very likely to be suitable” as Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen previously used that fund to reopen Teesside Airport.

The Peel Group shut Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) in November 2022, claiming it had never made a profit due to low passenger numbers, but Doncaster Council is looking to lease it and find a new operator by March.

The council said it will need to offer a new operator millions of pounds in taxpayer funded subsidies, as there will be “significant reinstatement costs”.

A letter published by Mr Coppard showed he asked the government in December whether £30m from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), which had already been allocated for upgrading a rail link to DSA, could instead be spent on reopening the airport.

When that request was declined, the Labour mayor publicly criticised the government, claiming it was refusing to provide support for the DSA rescue plan.

Mr Harper said: “It is frustrating to see your letter has found its way to the press and was used as the basis for inaccurate political adverts before I had an opportunity to reply.

"This will cause some to question whether your priority here is doing what's best for your area, or scoring political points."

He also said an application to reallocate CRSTS funding would need to be “carefully considered” against strict criteria but Mr Coppard should consider using Gainshare funding.

In response, Mr Coppard said he wanted the funding to be reallocated “so we didn’t lose it”.

“Let me be clear: I will always challenge the government for more funding, more flexibility, and more freedoms for South Yorkshire,” he said.

“I am doing everything I can to reopen DSA. And even if the government or some of our MPs are not prepared to help South Yorkshire in that mission, I will use every tool at our disposal to do just that.”

Doncaster Council has already applied to South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), which Mr Coppard runs, for the funds it needs to reopen DSA.

It has submitted an outline business case to SYMCA, requesting “a significant sum” from the Gainshare fund, which was promised to Doncaster by the government as part of South Yorkshire’s devolution deal.

Council leaders have not revealed how much they are requesting, claiming it is “commercially sensitive”.

But they said operators will be offered millions of pounds of taxpayer-funded subsidies as an incentive to invest in the airport.

Mr Coppard has also been embroiled with a long-running dispute with Don Valley’s Conservative MP Nick Fletcher, as both claim the other has shown little interest in reopening the airport.

Doncaster Chamber has called on all of the politicians involved to stop “political point scoring and electioneering”, adding: “Business doesn’t care which political party gets to cut a ribbon at the airport reopening ceremony”.