Reform UK
Sentiment Tracker · Updated 26 April 2026

Doncaster Sheffield Airport
Media Sentiment Tracker

A weekly read of how public and media sentiment around the DSA reopening project is moving. Coded from regional media coverage (Yorkshire Post, BBC, Doncaster Free Press) and a sample of Facebook commentary.

Latest Week — 16 Apr to 26 Apr

Council CEO threatens legal action; COISC investigation referred

11 articles · ~80 social comments / week
Positive
45%
▼ 3 pts
Negative
38%
▲ 6 pts
Mixed
15%
▼ 3 pts
Neutral
2%
±0

Council CEO Damian Allen reportedly threatened legal action against Reform councillors raising governance concerns. On 23 April, a Council Overview & Scrutiny (COISC) referral motion was tabled to investigate his conduct. Yorkshire Post coverage now consistently focuses on the lease and the governance gap. The mayor's office maintains the lease renegotiation is "almost complete" — two months after the same statement was first issued.

01 / Trajectory

Sentiment over time

Weekly share of each sentiment band. Positive sentiment has fallen from 65% to 45% over four weeks; negative sentiment has risen from 20% to 38%.

0%20%40%60%80%Week 126 Mar–2 AprWeek 22 Apr–9 AprWeek 39 Apr–16 AprWeek 416 Apr–26 Apr6550484520283238101518155722
Positive
Negative
Mixed
Neutral
02 / Composition

Weekly composition

The same data shown as 100% stacks per week. Useful for seeing the ratio of mixed and negative sentiment growing as the positive band shrinks.

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Positive
Mixed
Neutral
Negative
03 / Drivers

What is driving sentiment

Aggregated themes underneath the positive and negative bands across the four-week period.

Drivers of negative sentiment

Share of negative comments and articles, by theme.

  • Peel revenue share / lease terms38%

    Concerns about 20% of airport turnover paid to Peel and energy supplier lock-in.

  • Council secrecy and governance28%

    Allegations that the lease was hidden from members until after the loan vote.

  • Risk to taxpayers22%

    Concerns over the combined £57m council loan and £160m Gainshare exposure.

  • Financial structure12%

    Concerns about revenue sharing terms and the council absorbing operational risk.

Drivers of positive sentiment

Share of positive comments and articles, by theme.

  • Economic opportunity52%

    Jobs, regional growth, and a projected £5bn benefit by 2050.

  • Regional identity35%

    South Yorkshire pride; airport seen as a generational opportunity.

  • Operational credibility13%

    Confidence in FlyDoncaster's experience and execution.

04 / Sources

Where the coverage came from

Yorkshire Post

5
articles
Cautiously skeptical

Balanced coverage with growing focus on lease terms and governance questions across the four-week period.

BBC

2
articles
Neutral / operational

Coverage focused on FBO procurement and operational milestones; no critical lens on lease terms.

Doncaster Free Press

4
articles
Local / community

Coverage emphasises local jobs and community impact.

Facebook (regional pages)

80
comments
Mixed, increasingly skeptical

Sample of approximately 80 comments per week across regional Facebook pages and local news posts.

05 / Week by week

The weekly story

Week 1 · 26 Mar to 2 Apr

Charity Runway Race draws crowds; Reform announces challenge to £57m loan

Positive 65%Negative 20%Mixed 10%Neutral 5%

The week opened with strong community momentum around the Charity Runway Race held on the airport runway. By 2 April, Reform UK had publicly questioned the council's £57m loan to the project, calling for an extraordinary council meeting and arguing that members had not been given full information. The challenge introduced governance into a previously unopposed reopening narrative.

Key events

  • 26 MarCharity Runway Race held at DSA

    Thousands attended a charity event on the airport runway, generating positive community coverage.

  • 2 AprReform UK announces intent to challenge £57m loan

    Reform councillors call for an extraordinary council meeting to review the loan, arguing that full information was not provided to members.

Actor positions

  • Mayor Ros JonesDefending project · Confident
  • Reform UKChallenging vote · Cautious
  • Labour MPsNot yet engaged · Silent
  • Council CEO Damian AllenNot yet engaged · Silent
Week 2 · 2 Apr to 9 Apr

Extraordinary council meeting called; lease details begin to surface; Labour MPs intervene

Positive 50%Negative 28%Mixed 15%Neutral 7%

Reform formally moved to reverse the loan approval at an extraordinary council meeting, and lease details began appearing in regional media. Four Labour MPs — Miliband, Healey, Pitcher and Jameson — issued a joint letter warning of "catastrophic" consequences if the loan were reversed. Reform's leadership clarified its position publicly: "We support reopening — we don't support committing £57m without full facts."

Key events

  • 2 AprExtraordinary council meeting called

    Reform formally motions to reverse loan approval; vote pushed back. Lease details begin to appear in coverage.

  • 9 AprLabour MPs joint intervention

    Joint letter from four Labour MPs warns of "catastrophic" consequences if the loan is reversed, framing Reform's challenge as a betrayal of the region.

  • 9 AprReform clarifies position

    Reform leadership states publicly: "We support reopening — we don't support committing £57m without full facts."

Actor positions

  • Mayor Ros JonesDefending project · Defensive
  • Reform UKScrutinising deal · Principled
  • Labour MPsAttacking Reform challenge · Combative
  • Council CEO Damian AllenSilent · Absent
Week 3 · 9 Apr to 16 Apr

FBO procurement progresses while Yorkshire Post reports 20% turnover lease terms

Positive 48%Negative 32%Mixed 18%Neutral 2%

BBC reported operational progress as FlyDoncaster confirmed its search for a Fixed Base Operator and indicated private flights could return by end of 2026. The same week, Yorkshire Post reported that the lease structure could see 20% of the airport's turnover paid to Peel Group. Two parallel narratives emerged — operational momentum from FlyDoncaster against governance scrutiny of the council's lease.

Key events

  • 16 AprBBC: FBO procurement step forward

    FlyDoncaster confirms its Fixed Base Operator search; private flights could return by end of 2026.

  • 16 AprYorkshire Post: 20% turnover lease structure

    First explicit public reporting of the lease structure and Peel revenue share. The council states lease renegotiation is "almost complete" — no further detail is provided.

Actor positions

  • Mayor Ros JonesDefending project · Strained
  • Reform UKScrutinising deal · Evidence-led
  • Labour MPsQuiet · Receding
  • FlyDoncasterOperational lead · Professional
  • Council CEO Damian AllenSilent · Absent
Week 4 · 16 Apr to 26 Apr

Council CEO threatens legal action; COISC investigation referred

Positive 45%Negative 38%Mixed 15%Neutral 2%

Council CEO Damian Allen reportedly threatened legal action against Reform councillors raising governance concerns. On 23 April, a Council Overview & Scrutiny (COISC) referral motion was tabled to investigate his conduct. Yorkshire Post coverage now consistently focuses on the lease and the governance gap. The mayor's office maintains the lease renegotiation is "almost complete" — two months after the same statement was first issued.

Key events

  • 20 AprCouncil CEO threatens legal action

    Reports surface that Damian Allen has threatened legal action against Reform councillors raising lease and governance concerns.

  • 23 AprCOISC referral motion against Council CEO

    A Council Overview & Scrutiny referral motion seeks investigation into the Council CEO's conduct.

Actor positions

  • Mayor Ros JonesDefending project · Pressured
  • Reform UKScrutinising deal · Evidence-led
  • Labour MPsQuiet · Receding
  • Council CEO Damian AllenDefending project · Hostile, under referral
  • FlyDoncasterOperational lead · Professional
Methodology

How this is measured

Each week's sentiment is coded from a sample of approximately 80 Facebook comments and 10–15 regional media articles drawn from Yorkshire Post, BBC, and Doncaster Free Press. Comments and articles are classified into four bands — positive (pro-reopening), negative (anti-deal or anti-lease), mixed (supports reopening, criticises terms), and neutral (factual reporting only). This is qualitative coding by a single analyst, not statistical polling. The figures are intended to track narrative direction over time rather than measure precise public opinion.

Limitations. Facebook comment samples skew toward residents who are already politically engaged. Article counts depend on what is published in a given week and do not reflect editorial weight. Coding is qualitative and reflects the analyst's judgement; readers should treat the figures as directional indicators rather than precise measurements.

Maintained by. Jason Charity, Reform UK Councillor for Conisbrough Ward. Tracker is updated weekly while the project remains live. Corrections and source suggestions are welcome via the contact page.