Doncaster Mayor accuses MP of misleading public in latest row over "misinformation"

The pair have clashed on a number of issues in recent weeks – and have now exchanged words over funding and investment zones for Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

In an angry attack firing back at the Don Valley Conservative MP, Mayor Jones accused Mr Fletcher of sharing “divisive information” and added: “Unfortunately Mr Fletcher chooses to not share the full story in order to promote himself and his false narratives.

"This misinformation is becoming a regular occurrence and proves that he either doesn’t understand investment zones or is seeking to mislead the public.”

In a Facebook post, Mr Fletcher said: “I have discovered that The Two Mayors (Mrs Jones and South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard) have agreed that 25% of any business rates in the Doncaster Sheffield Airport zone area over a certain amount will go to South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).

“Presumably the rationale for this is that the airport provides an economic benefit for South Yorkshire as a whole.

“So as things stand the finance works like this. SYMCA have £900 million from Government which they can use.

"The Two Mayors chose not to do so in 2022 and let the airport close. Absolutely reprehensible, especially as they claimed that they had no funds to save the airport. Remember them saying ‘Not Me’ and ‘Blame the Tories?’

“£138 million of that sum is for Doncaster.

"The Two Mayors have agreed in January 2024 that all of this can be used to reopen the airport. No financial support will come for the airport from the Labour mayor of South Yorkshire. Labour controlled Sheffield will pay nothing. Neither will Labour controlled Rotherham nor Labour controlled Barnsley.

“Yet at the same time the Labour mayor of South Yorkshire will take a significant portion of business rates from the airport zone

“And the Labour mayor of South Yorkshire has taken £23 million of Doncaster’s money for Sheffield’s Supertrams with the full consent of the Labour Doncaster mayor.

“This doesn’t seem right to me. It’s all one way. We give and give. They take and take. This has to change.”

In response, Mayor Jones hit back saying: “Yet more divisive misinformation from the MP for Don Valley, this time in relation to the South Yorkshire Investment Zone.

“I must stress that at this stage GatewayEast and the airport is only a potential site within the South Yorkshire Investment Zone which would last 25 years from the point of designation. Meaning nothing has been finalised at this stage.

“In terms of Business Rates Retention, what is currently proposed is that Doncaster Council would retain 75% of additional Business Rates above the baseline. The remaining 25% would be retained by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to be used to further the aims of the Investment Zone (enabling this to be reinvested back into the Investment Zone).

"This 25% funding would be ringfenced and not used for anything other than further Investment Zone activity to stimulate growth and investment as per the government Investment Zones Policy Offer which was published in March 2023.

“Unfortunately Mr Fletcher chooses to not share the full story in order to promote himself and his false narratives. This misinformation is becoming a regular occurrence and proves that he either doesn’t understand Investment Zones or is seeking to mislead the public.”