Halt Gloucestershire Airport sale for 'more scrutiny'

The potential sale of Gloucestershire Airport must be halted to allow time for more scrutiny, a senior councillor has said.

Gloucester City and Cheltenham Borough Councils jointly own the airport as an arms-length company and are now looking for a new owner.

But Gloucester's Liberal Democrat leader Jeremy Hilton claimed there were "secret dealings" without challenge.

Council leader Richard Cook said only informal talks had taken place.

The site, in Staverton, has been run by Gloucestershire Airport Ltd since 1993, and both councils have a 50% shareholding.

The airport is mainly used for private flights, training and clubs - and brings in more than £50m each year to the local economy.

Cheltenham and Gloucester council leaders announced this week that they planned to "seek new investment" for the small airport.

But on Gloucester City Council, group leaders and councillors were not told about the decision to market the 300-acre site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Mr Hilton has written an open letter to city council leader Richard Cook calling for the sale to be put on hold until all councillors had received all the information necessary to make a value-based judgement.

He said in the letter: "You have clearly been having private discussions with representatives of Cheltenham Borough Council whilst keeping all opposition and backbench city councillors in the dark. This is most disingenuous.

"I understand that group leaders at Cheltenham Borough Council were kept fully informed by their council leader and they will have informed their own group members. In Gloucester, we have not heard a word from you.

"I therefore request this sale be put on hold until all members of council have received all the information necessary to make a value-based judgement."

The city council's Labour group has called for a "full and transparent" process.

Acting Labour group leader Tree Chambers-Dubus said: "Decisions are being taken behind closed doors with no consultation or discussion with opposition councillors."

Mr Cook said said the only way the councils could build on the site's business activity is by investing in it."We as councils don't have lots of money. Either the airport sees a death by a thousand cuts because no investment at all is coming in or you actually see a new owner coming in which says 'yeah we believe in the future of this airport and we'll put money into it'.

"In 2020 when we invested to get the airport back onto an even keel with an operational runway we said we would make it our business thereafter to find a new investor for the airport to give it a long term future."

The airport faced threats of closure a decade ago when the two councils were considering whether to sell the land to build up to 3,500 homes.

Significant improvements have taken place over the past few years.

In 2020 the LDRS reported that the two councils handed £15m to the airport to refurbish two of its runways, and close one to make way for a new business park.

Bosses had previously suggested it could lead to the reintroduction of commercial flights to UK cities and the Channel Islands.

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