Reform councillor quits role over airport company

Doncaster Sheffield Airport is scheduled to resume passenger flights from 2028

A Reform UK councillor has stepped down as deputy leader of the Doncaster branch of the party over her involvement in a company she co-founded to do business with the council.

Councillor Rachel Reed set up Fly Doncaster (Auxiliary Services) Ltd with Councillor David Knight, who was also a Reform UK councillor until he was stripped of the party whip over the saga.

The party has said the business was Knight's idea and Reed - who had worked in a school before entering politics - was unaware of the implications it would have.

Reed will remain as a councillor for Conisbrough ward and has resigned as a director of Fly Doncaster (Auxiliary Services) Ltd.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Doncaster Reform UK has appointed Councillor Karl Hughes as deputy leader.

Fly Doncaster (Auxiliary Services) Ltd was established on 18 September after the council created Fly Doncaster to manage Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA).

Earlier this month, Reform spokesperson Jason Charity said Fly Doncaster (Auxillary Services) Ltd was Knight's idea, as he "thought that the auxiliary services around DSA have not been established, and he thought there was a business opportunity in it".

Charity, who is also a councillor for Conisbrough ward, said the business was legal but "not something that Reform UK would have approved".

Rachel Reed will remain as a Reform UK councillor for the Conisbrough ward

Both Reed and Knight were members of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC) at City of Doncaster Council, which is responsible for reviewing and scrutinising decisions made by Mayor Ros Jones and her cabinet.

This includes upcoming decisions related to the airport, after the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority approved £160m to help with its reopening.

Following the controversy, Knight was removed from the OSMC by Councillor Guy Aston, who leads Reform UK on City of Doncaster Council.

Knight lost the party whip the next day, making him an independent councillor.

Reed was chair of the OSMC and stepped down from the role the same day Knight lost the party whip, but stayed on as deputy leader of the group until this week.

Aston said: "Rachel has chosen to resign as deputy leader to ensure that nothing distracts from the work ahead.

"We owe the people of Doncaster a duty of care to examine the Doncaster Sheffield Airport project in detail, and her decision reflects a determination to maintain that focus.

"I want to thank Rachel for her dedication and for the significant contribution she has made to our group in leadership roles."

He added: "Reform UK Doncaster strongly supports efforts to secure the future of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, but that work must be conducted transparently and in a way that maintains public confidence."

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