Exclusive:Ed Miliband 'absolutely convinced' Doncaster Sheffield Airport will reopen

The City of Doncaster Council signed a 125-year lease for the airport land with owner Peel in March 2024 and has subsequently established a council-owned company called FlyDoncaster with the intention of reopening the airport from next year.

This would use Doncaster’s share of the funding from a £900m settlement given to the South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard, as part of devolution arrangements, for the project, after DSA closed in 2022.

Costs have been mounting, and it was revealed that the minimum cost of lease payments for DSA is £363m.

The council has argued the reopening of the airport will be the catalyst for wider regeneration work around the airport and lead to the creation of 5,000 direct jobs.

However, Mr Miliband, who is the MP for Doncaster North and a previous critic of airport expansion, gave the plans his firm backing. The Energy Secretary told The Yorkshire Post: “I think Ros Jones has been a brilliant mayor and she’s got a record to be proud of.

“She has led from the front on the airport, which is the single biggest local issue that we have.

“She will get the airport reopened, I'm absolutely convinced about that.

“I think there's a real will locally in the region to make it happen.

“I think the work that Doncaster Council has done over the past couple of years has been really positive, and I know Ros is absolutely going to deliver it.”

This is the latest backing that Ms Jones has got from a senior Cabinet Minister. Her plans were handed a boost earlier in the year, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves cited the plan in a major speech saying it has “the potential to drive jobs and growth across the North”.

Since then, multiple sources have told The Yorkshire Post that “early discussions” have started between the Treasury and local leaders about potential financial assistance.

Mr Coppard, the Mayor of South Yorkshire, previously said: “This isn’t about passing on the responsibility to Government, this has got to be a team effort with Doncaster, the region and the Government all working together.

Mr Coppard is set to make a final decision this summer after Doncaster’s mayoral election on May 1, when independent auditors have scrutinised the council’s plans.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Conservative candidate to become Doncaster mayor, former MP Nick Fletcher, accused Ms Jones’ actions of increasing the cost of reopening the airport from £20m to £100m.

Writing in The Yorkshire Post, he said she was in “the grip of party politics” and that all South Yorkshire councils should contribute funds.

"The result is we pay £100m for what could have been achieved with £20m a few years ago, and she dares to ask for votes in May again,” he added.