One week to go. On Monday 11 May, Doncaster Council will vote on whether to rescind the £57 million borrowing facility that underpins the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport – a decision the council’s own officers have warned could increase the authority’s bankruptcy risk and kill the project entirely.

At a glance

  • What: Vote to rescind £57m borrowing facility for the DSA reopening
  • When: Monday 11 May 2026, City of Doncaster Council
  • Officer warning: Rescinding could increase council bankruptcy risk and end the reopening project
  • Mayor Ros Jones (Lab): Says rescinding will “kill the airport project”
  • Reform UK: Argues councillors voted on the loan in November 2025 without sight of the lease, which has since been leaked
  • Lease terms (since leaked): Reported to include £5m base rent, potential 20% turnover rent, break clauses if passenger targets are missed
  • Bassetlaw MP Jo White: Has accused Reform UK of threatening to kill the project

What the agenda papers say

City of Doncaster Council has now published a 33-page report ahead of the 11 May vote. According to those papers, council officers have warned that pulling the £57m borrowing facility now would not only end the airport reopening project but would also increase the council’s bankruptcy risk, with the authority potentially left to absorb redundancy packages, ongoing rent and security costs.

Mayor Ros Jones, who holds executive authority in Doncaster, has restated her position publicly. In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service on 29 April, she said she would not give up on the reopening even if the loan is rescinded, warning that a rescission would “kill the airport project” and that the costs would fall on Doncaster Council and local taxpayers.

Why Reform UK is pushing for the vote

Reform UK on Doncaster Council moved to rescind the loan after the lease between the council and airport landowner Peel Group was leaked to journalists in January 2026. Reform argues that councillors approved the borrowing in November 2025 without having seen those lease terms.

According to media reporting on the leaked lease, the contract is said to include a £5 million annual base rent, the potential for a 20% turnover rent above certain thresholds, and break clauses that favour the landowner if passenger targets are not met. Reform have framed the move as a matter of due diligence rather than an attempt to block the reopening in principle.

Westminster takes sides

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has accused Reform UK of betraying the region over the airport. Reform leader Nigel Farage has previously suggested a future Reform government would seek to acquire the airport site by compulsory purchase order. Both sides have used the run-up to the vote to firm up their public positions.

The Bassetlaw angle

Bassetlaw MP Jo White has been one of the most vocal supporters of the reopening, with more than 2,000 Bassetlaw residents backing her campaign for the airport to come back into service after its 2022 closure. She has publicly accused Reform UK of threatening to kill the project, and has said she will not back down on the issue.

For Worksop and the wider Bassetlaw district, the airport sits roughly 20 minutes up the A1, and a reopening would be expected to bring jobs, freight and direct flights back within easy reach of local residents. A failure to reopen on Monday would lock in the status quo for the foreseeable future.

What we are watching for on 11 May

  • Whether the rescission motion is passed or defeated, and by what margin
  • Whether councillors are given fuller sight of the lease before voting
  • Statements from Mayor Jones, Reform UK and the Save DSA campaign in the immediate aftermath
  • Confirmation of any freight or passenger operator deals (a major freight operator is reported to be in advanced talks for around 20 flights per week)

This is a preview piece. Worksop Wire will cover the outcome of the 11 May vote.