Doncaster Sheffield Airport plans to go ahead after crunch vote put forward by Reform councillors
The long-running plans were put under threat by Doncaster councillors
After a long day of negotiations, Doncaster Sheffield Airport plans are set to go forward as councillors agree to proposals.
Councillors for Reform UK - which makes up the majority in City of Doncaster Council - had put forward a motion calling for a £57m loan for the DSA reopening to be rescinded.
Labour figures warned that this could put an end to the ongoing plans to reopen the South Yorkshire airport, however after discussions throughout the morning it was agreed that the loan would continue as planned.
The amended motion on the loan passed by 45 votes to five, with one abstention.
Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones says the motion “has wasted a lot of officer time which could and should have been focused on getting the job done”.
Meanwhile, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said that after today’s events “we are essentially back where we started”.
“The political theatre of today's vote and the questions and commentary of the last few weeks have not come without cost,” he added.
“They have caused unnecessary delay and uncertainty. Big, long-term public sector investment projects of this scale require a shared sense of purpose and commitment from everyone responsible for their delivery. I can only hope that the damage done to the project by the uncertainty of the last few weeks is not significant or long-lasting.
“On behalf of the thousands of people across Doncaster and South Yorkshire who want to save DSA, the dozens of people whose jobs rely on this project already, and the hundreds more who will be working there in the near future, I would only ask that councillors in Doncaster now put party politics aside and throw their weight behind the project, working together with Ros Jones, the government, the private sector and me to achieve the goals we have always prioritised; reopening DSA while protecting taxpayers, creating jobs, growth and opportunity in Doncaster and across South Yorkshire.”
Jason Charity, of Reform UK, said that his party put forward a motion to rescind the loan after details of the airport’s lease were leaked in January - two months after the vote on the loan in November 2025.
“We wanted to see the lease in November and the mayor refused to hand over the lease,” he continued.
“When we saw some of the key terms in the lease, particularly the 20 per cent revenue share, we realised really quickly that DSA wasn’t going to succeed if that remained in the lease.
“That really was the genesis for the motion - we had to start with a firm motion to rescind in order to reach a sensible set of safeguards.”
Campaigners have expressed their relief that airport plans are set to continue.
Sarah Barnes, organiser at the GMB union, said: “It’s a massive relief - both personally and for everyone South Yorkshire - that the airport project hasn’t been killed.
“Thanks to pressure from workers, unions and politicians, Reform has executed a screeching U-turn and will no longer cancel the £57 million loan.
“This is a huge victory for the people of Doncaster.”