Doncaster Chamber of Commerce is calling for all parties in negotiations to reopen the region’s airport to show a united front to get the site back up and running, rather than be concerned with mudslinging, political point scoring, and electioneering.
Chief Exec Dan Fell says business doesn’t care which political party gets to cut a ribbon at the airport reopening ceremony, so long as the aim of bringing international connectivity back to South Yorkshire is achieved.
He said: “Unfortunately, we are seeing a lot of unwelcome commentary at the moment that, at best, is a needless distraction and, at worst, could potentially jeopardise the future of this hard-fought campaign by spooking potential investors.
“Pulling together to get a favourable deal done should be our focus right now, rather than needless mudslinging in public forums. After months of uncertainty, plans to get South Yorkshire’s airport reopened are moving forward at pace and there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel. This is owing to the tireless efforts of many partners and colleagues — of all political dispositions — behind the scenes and should be a cause for celebration.
“The negotiations here are necessarily detailed and complex and we need to give those in the thick of it time and space to get it over the line. 24/7 commentary is not going to be conducive to that goal.
“Lots of people have contributed to this and it has been a true collaborative effort. For example, national government played a huge role in conferring Investment Zone status to South Yorkshire and the Civil Aviation Authority has been helpful in retaining the airspace over DSA whilst negotiations take place. Meanwhile, local and regional government has poured considerable resource into the campaign and demonstrated great leadership and tenacity.”
Mr Fell said pitting one transport scheme for South Yorkshire against another, as he believed some had been seeking to do, was simply reductive. “The region needs both an airport and a mass transit system for its core city, and those two things should not be seen as mutually exclusive. In the fullness of time, it is true that we will need to establish a better plan for increasing the overall investment into South Yorkshire’s infrastructure, and it will be reasonable to ask why other regions — such as West Yorkshire — seem to be more successful than us at leveraging in infrastructure investment. However, that conversation must be decoupled from the immediate need to get our airport reopened.
“Politicians need to hold each other to account; the business community accepts and understands this. Yet there are ways of achieving this without resorting to megaphone diplomacy and without jeopardising projects that are essential to South Yorkshire’s future growth. Airing political differences in public diminishes investor confidence and achieves very little, even in an election year. With that in mind, we are urging our political friends and partners to, please, tone it down and focus on telling the outside world what a great place South Yorkshire can be to do business.
“Finally, to any organisations who are involved in the plans to reopen DSA — including carriers who may wish to be based there in the future — we say this: ‘South Yorkshire’s business communities are grateful for your keen interest in our region and are standing by ready to welcome you to our networks. Here, you will find a private sector that is eager to partner with you so that, together, we can grow the airport, fulfil its latent potential, and help you achieve your aims as well. We look forward to working with you to make the airport a resounding success.”
