Councillor Terry Fox, Leader of Sheffield City Council, statement on Doncaster-Sheffield airport:

“This is a devastating situation for South Yorkshire, the wider region and the whole of the North. The fact that the future of Doncaster Sheffield Airport is uncertain has come as a shock to us all. The airport is a key asset ensuring South Yorkshire is linked to the rest of the world and a considerable amount of investment and funding has been put into it. The wider economic impact will be severe for South Yorkshire and we have to support as much as we can.

We have spoken to leaders across the region and we agree we need to come together and find out from The Peel Group what issues they are facing and how we as a region can help.

What cannot be ignored here is all the talk about Levelling Up by the Government. We know the aviation industry is struggling at the moment, so this is a prime example of a situation the government needs to support if it has any intention of truly levelling up investment in the North. First the eastern leg of HS2, now this – South Yorkshire need’s better transport links, we can’t afford to lose the resources we are trying to build on”