Reform UK drop opposition to airport reopening loan

A loan to support the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport will be approved after Reform UK dropped their opposition and agreed not to vote against it.

Doncaster's Reform councillors had threatened to withdraw a previously-agreed £57m loan and said they had agreed to the funding "without knowledge" of key clauses of the lease for the airport site.

The airport closed in 2022 when operators Peel Group said it was no longer viable. Peel still own the land and are in negotiations to lease it to Doncaster Council.

At an extraordinary meeting of the council, Reform members agreed the loan could continue as long as councillors were provided with copies of the new lease before it was approved.

Reform became the largest party on the council after elections in 2025, although the elected mayor and her cabinet still make the majority of decisions.

The loan, previously agreed in November 2025, was in addition to £193m of public money from other sources.

Council officers had warned that if the loan was withdrawn, the airport reinstatement programme would be unable to continue "beyond the immediate period" and it would also impact on the wider Gateway East development.

Under the original funding deal, freight services could begin in 2027, with passenger flights starting in 2028.

Officers have said the airport issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible as "senior officer and councillor capacity continues to be focused on the airport programme and its implications".

The Trade Union Congress said it was pleased "Reform had finally seen sense".

Northern regional secretary Dave Pike said: "They should never have put this vital project - and the jobs and growth it will bring to the region - at risk in the first place."

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