Tories block £30m cash that could help Labour mayor reopen northern airport

20 January 2024 , 18:27

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Doncaster Sheffield Airport has been closed since November 2022

Tory Ministers have blocked £30 million in funding that could help a Labour mayor re-open a northern airport, the Mirror understands.

Local Labour leaders have been working to revive the scuppered Doncaster Sheffield Airport, providing transport in the north a much-needed boost after Rishi Sunak ’s scrapping of HS2. They hoped to use a £30 million cash pot - originally earmarked in 2022 for a rail link to the airport before it closed - to help pay for building work at the site. But Tory Transport Secretary Mark Harper has refused to let them re-route the cash - which will likely go unspent within the five year time limit.

Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Labour Metro Mayor wrote to Mr Harper in December, urging him to think again. “While there remain significant hurdles for us to overcome if we are to reopen [the airport]," Mr Coppard wrote in the letter, released to a local campaign group under Freedom of Information laws. "Your help in allowing us to access [the funds] for the airport would be a clear sign of your willingness to listen to local concerns and priorities."

He added: "I know you have been unwilling to make that commitment in the past - on behalf of the people of Doncaster and South Yorkshire, and all those people across the north hoping to see [the airport] reopened - I would be grateful if you would now reconsider that decision."

Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) saw both domestic flights to London and low-cost airlines taking holidaymakers to European destinations. But it closed in November 2022, with owners Peel Group claiming it was not “commercially viable” - despite Mr Coppard and Doncaster Council offering to underwrite operations for a year while a new airport operator could be found.

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In August, this newspaper revealed the Mayor’s office and Labour-run Doncaster council were on the verge of agreeing a deal with Peel Group to take on a 100-year lease on the site - which could see flights taking off again within two years. A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We strongly encourage [airport owners] the Peel Group to work with local leaders to find a solution for the Doncaster Sheffield airport."

Mikey Smith