SYMCA tells of ‘positive progress’ on Doncaster Sheffield Airport lease amid future funding concerns
The claim comes after multiple sources with knowledge of a City of Doncaster Council briefing said the project will “run out of money” if negotiations fail
Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) lease renegotiations are making “positive progress”, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has said, amid concerns about the reopening’s future funding.
The claim comes after multiple sources with knowledge of a City of Doncaster Council briefing said the project will “run out of money” in September 2026 if negotiations are not completed.
Doncaster Council has been renegotiating its lease for DSA with landowners, the Peel Group, at the request of the SYMCA since September 2025. £160million worth of funding from SYMCA is subject to a new lease being agreed.
A SYMCA spokesperson said: “Positive progress continues to be made in negotiations regarding the lease arrangements for Doncaster Sheffield Airport. As these negotiations are ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”
The Doncaster Council briefing was a private meeting for backbench Labour representatives and opposition councillors from Reform UK and the Conservatives to be updated on the reopening progress.
Following the briefing, sources shared a summary of what councillors were told, which read: “Renegotiation of the lease is not complete. Project runs out of money in September.”
They also said the lease needed to be renegotiated by the time the SYMCA Board meets in September 2026 or “it’s over basically”.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the briefing said this was an accurate account of what was shared with councillors.
At the time, a City of Doncaster Council spokesperson said: “We do not comment on potential misinterpretations of confidential briefings with councillors.”
However, the council declined to refute or deny any of the information when asked to.
The reopening has so far been sourced from various SYMCA and Government grants and pots.
The £57million loan to support the reopening has not yet been drawn down by the authority, as it must wait for the £160m to be released by SYMCA.