Business leaders urge political unification for £57m airport funding
As the date for Doncaster Council’s decision on whether to approve funding for Doncaster Sheffield Airport fast approaches, another consortium has publicly commented on which way they feel it should go – this time, fully in support.
Last week, a consortium of private investors wrote to the Prime Minister alleging that Doncaster Council has ‘delayed, suppressed and frustrated’ its proposal for £500m of private funding for the airport project, a claim the council strongly refuted.
Now, three South Yorkshire Chambers have joined forces with #SAVEDSA campaign group; the Cutlers’ Company of Hallamshire; the Federation of Small Businesses; the Institute of Directors; and Make UK to call for a positive vote.
Collectively, they represent thousands of employers that employ tens of thousands of workers across the region.
An additional £57m of additional council borrowing is being proposed, on top of the £160m in gainshare funding being supplied from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
The money from SYMCA is, however, scheduled at approximately £6m per year over 25 years rather than a single upfront allocation.
Doncaster Council has said that additional borrowing is needed because more than £6m is needed throughout the initial years of the programme.
Councillors are due to decide on the borrowing proposal at a meeting on 27 November 2025.
The letter from the Chambers highlighted the due diligence and work done to get the project this far, as well as the extensive benefits to South Yorkshire’s economy and businesses.
It also referenced the political divide at Doncaster Council and urged members to put party differences aside in support of the project.
Part of the letter reads: “The reason so many businesses continue to support the reopening DSA is because the benefits to the economy are vast. Even the under-performing airport that closed its doors three years ago was contributing something akin to £100m a year to the regional economy.
“The airport is also central to the success of the adjacent Gateway East development site, part of South Yorkshire’s Investment Zone. The economic prize here is huge and cannot be mirrored by any other current South Yorkshire project.
“There are, of course, significant risks involved in a scheme of this nature. As representatives of the region’s business communities, we are eyes wide open to these…
“Put simply, if South Yorkshire were to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at this juncture, its credibility with residents, businesses, investors and government alike would be irreparably damaged.
“For these reasons, we urge you and your respective parties to vote yes to accepting the SYMCA funds on the 27th of November.
“We are, of course, cognisant of the complexities of the local political landscape, but, nonetheless, would contend that, on this occasion, the stakes are too high for you not to work together.”
The composition of Doncaster Council has changed in recent months due to a significant shift in political control during the May 2025 elections, where Reform UK gained a majority of seats, although the mayoralty remains with Labour Party member Ros Jones.
Reform has since rejected an offer to join the mayor’s executive group but is filing a no-confidence vote against her.
“Even the under-performing airport that closed its doors three years ago was contributing something akin to £100m a year to the regional economy.” This shows the key difference between Business Accounting (P&L accounting) and Socio-Economic Cost Benefit Accounting. This inability to understand the difference by politicians partly explains the UKs relative economic and industrial decline.
By Anonymous