Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Revealed government communications lead to politicians’ row

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher engaged in an online dispute after documents containing communications between the mayor and Department for Transport were publicised.

Published by The Mirror, the documents detailed how the Department for Transport had refused requests by South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard to use a transport grant to fund reopening the airport.

The £30 million grant had previously been earmarked for the Gateway East rail project which would see a railway station be built at the airport once it is reopened.

Mr Coppard urged Transport Secretary Mark Harper to reallocate the funds to the airport itself due to a time limit upon when they can be used.

The emails were obtained through a Freedom of Information Request submitted by administrator of the Save DSA Facebook group, Mark Chadwick.

The group is the largest of several aiming to reopen the site which was closed by owner Peel Group in 2022.

Mr Fletcher, who has been critical of Mayor Coppard throughout the process to reopen the airport, criticised The Mirror’s report online.

He wrote: “It totally blames Government when the issue is with #TheTwoMayors.

“Local Labour leaders have the power to raise £900 million through gainshare to save the airport. In South Yorkshire they chose not to do so in 2022.

“In 2023 they received guarantees of £1.455 billion for Transport projects. Yet they still refuse to use the £900 million that could save our airport or make it ready for any future operator. Why?

“They are not only being disingenuous, they use every trick in the book to play party politics and it’s not on. The £30 million is for the airport rail link. Unless they’ve given up on the airport, we must not allow that cash to be earmarked for anything else.”

Mr Coppard responded: “This is nonsense Nick and you know it.

“Please explain why £30m that was originally earmarked for a rail link to the airport, shouldn’t be used to help reopen the airport?

“The money has to be spent asap or we lose it.

“We don’t control the allocation CRSTS alone, government have to agree it – as you know.

“But your government won’t let us build the rail link using that CRSTS money, and won’t let us use the money for anything else.

“Government said no, so I can’t access that £30 million for the railway project. That’s why I’ve asked to use it to reopen our airport. Perhaps if I was a Tory Mayor they may be more flexible, but I don’t think that’s the way politics should be done.”

Mr Fletcher later shared another lengthy post to Facebook reiterating his points as well as criticising the Save DSA Facebook page.

He said: “The Save DSA page is run by an admin that has been seemingly captured by the local Labour politicians and will now be used to help their local election campaign.”

Following previous criticisms, Mr Chadwick told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he runs the page independently.

He has banned political arguments from his campaign page, condeming what he called the “blame game.”

In response to Mr Fletcher’s post, he wrote: “What’s with the comments about me and the Facebook group, it’s an airport group HERE TO SUPPORT GETTING THE AIRPORT OPEN.

“Your constant scrutiny and divisive comments will not help, your dysfunctional relationship with our authorities will not help. If anything it’s embarrassing.

“There is an opportunity here to get more funding for Doncaster towards our Airport, I would think it would be in your Constituents best interests to support this issue.

“As mentioned before I actually voted for you, you’re my MP. I’m an independent person who runs a Facebook group to support getting our airport open, yet you and your supporters seem to think its OK to constantly have a go at me.”

Mr Chadwick shared on the Save DSA Facebook group that he was blocked from Mr Fletcher’s page following his comments.

Mr Coppard also followed up with a post in which he shared that the authority will use its own funds to reopen the airport if the £30 million is not released.