Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Minister blocked £30m funding bid, emails show

The transport secretary blocked a request to reallocate £30m of funding to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), emails suggest.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard had asked Mark Harper to use funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements.

However, the Department for Transport (DfT) said the mayor's letter was not classed as a "formal request".

Mr Coppard said he feared the £30m would now go unspent.

DSA closed in 2022 after owner Peel Group said it was financially unviable.

Since its closure, City of Doncaster Council has been working on a plan to reopen the site to commercial air traffic and it is hoped a new airport operator can be appointed in March.

A request under the Freedom of Information act by campaigner Mark Chadwick has now shed new light on communications between the government and Mr Coppard.

In an email sent to Mr Harper on 16 December, Mr Coppard asked him to reconsider the decision to refuse flexibility around the reallocation of £30m, a Freedom of Information request revealed.

Mr Coppard said: "You will be aware that in the first round of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) funding, we sought to allocate £30m for the development of the Gateway East Rail project.

"That scheme was intended to support our ambitions to unlock the potential of Doncaster Sheffield Airport and the Gateway East development site."

Mr Coppard said the DfT had agreed to that request in principle while retaining control of that project.

Due to the council and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority currently focusing on the reopening of DSA, it was unlikely the money would be spent in the current funding window, Mr Coppard said.

"That is why we have engaged with your officials in a conversation about reallocating that £30m to support the capital costs associated with bringing back aviation operations at our airport," Mr Coppard wrote.

"You have previously turned down those requests for greater flexibility to be applied to that money, meaning the funding is now at risk of being unspent within CRSTS timescales.

"I am therefore writing to formally ask you to reconsider that decision."

Mr Coppard also brought up former prime minister Liz Truss' pledge to do "everything she could" to "help save DSA", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Coppard wrote: "I'm sorry but that promise came to nothing.

"Offering us access to that CRSTS funding now would go some way to making good on that commitment."

In an updated statement issues to the LDRS, the DfT said it had not rejected any bid from the mayor as no formal request or submission had been received.

A spokesperson said: "We strongly encourage the Peel Group to work with local leaders to find a solution for the Doncaster Sheffield Airport."

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].