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Doncaster Sheffield Airport staff hand in 100k petition to government

GMB Airport staff and Labour MPs in LondonGMB
Airport staff and union officials, who travelled to London to hand in the petition, were accompanied by three South Yorkshire Labour MPs outside the Department for Transport

Doncaster Sheffield Airport staff have handed a petition to government, with 100,000 people urging it be saved.

GMB union members delivered the petition to the Department for Transport, accompanied by three South Yorkshire Labour MPs.

Owner Peel previously said services at the airport, which employs 800 people, would wind down from 31 October.

An offer of public money to keep the airport operating into 2023 has been rejected, South Yorkshire's mayor said.

On Wednesday morning, Doncaster's Labour Mayor Ros Jones said she and South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard had written to Peel to "urge them to seriously consider offers for the purchase of the site".

Ms Jones said Doncaster Council was "prepared to initiate the process" for a Compulsory Purchase Order of the airport and will investigate if it can seek a judicial review of the decision to close.

Sign at Doncaster Sheffield Airport
Owner Peel has been urged by South Yorkshire political leaders to grant more time for a solution to be found

In a statement, Ms Jones said: "[Peel] need to accept the public sector offer to cover their losses for 13 months while negotiations of a sale are progressed and concluded.

"We have also this week offered to extend that period within which the financial support could be used to 24 months."

The petition was handed in by GMB officer Sarah Barnes, airport firefighter Steve Kent and Joshua Brown, airport operations officer.

They were backed by Doncaster North MP Ed Miliband, Barnsley East MP Stephanie Peacock and Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh.

Ms Haigh, shadow transport secretary, said: "The Prime Minster promised in her first PMQs that she would do all she could to protect Doncaster Sheffield Airport from closure and here we are, less than a month from closure and the prime minister and the secretary of state for transport refusing to lift a finger.

"Our fight continues and I'm again urging the government to do the right thing, use the powers they have and save the airport and jobs."

GMB Petition boxGMB
The petition with 100,000 signatures was handed in at about 11:00 BST on Wednesday

Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan recently said it was up to Doncaster Council to try and "find a solution" to the planned closure.

Speaking to BBC Look North in late September, Prime Minister Liz Truss said: "I want to make sure that airport survives.

"I will do what I can, and I will talk to the relevant people."

GMB organiser Ms Barnes said: "We need the Department for Transport to step in and make some extra cash available until the right buyer is found.

"The people of South Yorkshire deserve an international transport hub."

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