Worksop Guardian 24.01.2024
I am hopeful that one day soon we will be able to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Many constituents have contacted me about the issue and it is something I have been pursuing ever since owners Peel announced it was going to close.
Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher, whose constituency the airport is located within, has campaigned relentlessly on the issue and provided updates almost every day. Local people have been very clear that they see the airport as an important local asset and a driver of economic growth, which is why it’s so important we get it reopened.
Whilst many are disappointed with owners Peel, the important thing is for the local authorities concerned to take control of the situation, namely Doncaster Council and more so the Mayor of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. The power to take control of the airport lies locally, through a compulsory purchase order. We devolved transport powers locally and we therefore expect authorities to use them.
The Labour Mayor has £900m in ‘gainshare’ money to use. This is money given by Government to a Combined Authority when a Mayor is put in place. This is 30 years at £30m but he can borrow against this with immediate effect. He’s had it all the time the airport was open and since it has been closed. It has however never been used for the airport. Contrast this with Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen in Teesside, who only has around £450 million, yet used this to buy their airport when they experienced similar problems.
I am very disappointed at the misinformation currently being shared, primarily for political reasons, including an article in The Mirror and by the BBC. In it the Mayor suggests there is £30 million in Government funding available and if only they would change the rules on how it can be spent then everything would be ok. The truth is that the £30 million is from a sustainable travel fund to make sure there is a rail link for the airport. After 5 years this fund expires. We can ask for this time limit to be extended and Nick Fletcher MP is on the case, but Mayor Oliver Coppard has sat on his hands with the airport for 17 months, which is why we need the extension in the first place.
When they buy the airport they will get the £30 million for the rail link. The money is not for the purchase of the airport, which should instead be from the ‘gainshare’ money that Mayor Oliver Coppard already has. Instead he is spending the money on the trams in Sheffield. The airport benefits all of South Yorkshire, including Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham, as well as Bassetlaw. That should be the priority, not petty politics.
