Peel Lease, Doncaster Sheffield Airport
Dear Doncaster Borough Council,
According to press releases a 125-year lease has been signed between the City of Doncaster Council and landowners, the Peel Group, to bring the loss making Doncaster Sheffield Airport, formerly named Robin Hood Airport, back into use.
I’d like to see all information which demonstrates that this lease represents value for money for the taxpayer and satisfies the state aid / subsidy control regime.
The request is therefore for:
1. copies of the final heads of terms and the executed lease agreement entered into with the Peel Group.
2. the final set of briefing documents provided to councillors on the proposed lease as part of the approval process.
3. The value of subsidy provided to the Peel Group through this transaction.
4. If the argument is that a subsidy is not conferred from the transaction, then provide all supporting evidence to substantiate this.
5. public funding to create an airport that would not otherwise be able to operate could be considered to amount to a subsidy to air carriers. Are there safeguards in place to avoid such a situation occurring? If so, information on this is requested.
6. Has any advice been provided by consultants on the value for money & subsidy control aspects of this transaction? If so, these are requested.
7. should any documents not be shared due to exemptions under the FOIA, please provide the total number of documents not shared.
Yours faithfully,
Ginny Bennett
Hi Ginny
Re: Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
Thank you for your request for information.
I can confirm your request has been passed to the relevant department who will endeavour to search for any information held and provide you with a response as soon as is possible. This will be within 20 working days and in any case by the 3rd May 2024
Yours sincerely,
Sophie
Sophie Ormshaw
Information Governance Officer
Information Governance Team
Corporate Resources
City of Doncaster Council
Civic Office (Floor 2)
Waterdale
Doncaster
DN1 3BU
Phone: 01302 735326
E-mail: [email address]
Web: http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/
Please treat the content of this e-mail as confidential. If you have received this e-mail and it is not addressed to you please accept my apologies and inform me as soon as possible.
Dear Ginny,
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 5th April for
information about Peel Lease, Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Please find
below City of Doncaster Council’s responses to the questions you have
raised.
1. copies of the final heads of terms and the executed lease agreement
entered into with the Peel Group.
2. the final set of briefing documents provided to councillors on the
proposed lease as part of the approval process.
3. The value of subsidy provided to the Peel Group through this
transaction.
4. If the argument is that a subsidy is not conferred from the
transaction, then provide all supporting evidence to substantiate this.
5. public funding to create an airport that would not otherwise be able to
operate could be considered to amount to a subsidy to air carriers. Are
there safeguards in place to avoid such a situation occurring? If so,
information on this is requested.
6. Has any advice been provided by consultants on the value for money &
subsidy control aspects of this transaction? If so, these are requested.
7. should any documents not be shared due to exemptions under the FOIA,
please provide the total number of documents not shared. Do we need to say
something here?
Response:
This information is exempt from disclosure under Section 43 of the Freedom
of information Act. Section 43 exempts information from the right of
access under the Freedom of Information Act if disclosure of the
information would prejudice someone’s commercial interests. The City of
Doncaster Council believe disclosure of this information may be considered
advantageous to competitors and would be likely to cause commercial
prejudice to the provider involved.
As Section 43 is a qualified exemption, the City of Doncaster Council is
obliged to consider whether disclosure of the information would be in the
public interest before refusing to supply the information. Therefore the
City of Doncaster Council has taken the following factors into account:
Factors for disclosing information
• To release the information would be in the spirit of openness
and transparency in which the Council operates
• We recognise that decisions and plans should be open to
accountability
• The information may be of interest to members of the public
Factors for withholding information
• Disclosure would be likely to adversely affect the company’s
commercial interests as disclosure of the information may damage the
relationship with the council
• Disclosure may weaken the position of the organisation in a
competitive environment
• The information could be used by those competitors to gain a
commercial advantage
Taking these factors into consideration, the City of Doncaster Council has
decided that the reasons for withholding the information outweigh those
for disclosing it and we will not be providing the information at this
time
City of Doncaster Council estimates that it has cost £46 to respond to
this request for information.
Reviewing any decisions made:
If you are not happy with this reply you can ask us to review our
response. To do this write to us within 40 working days of receiving your
response at the address below or email [1][email address]
If you do not agree with the review decision you can apply to the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a decision about our
compliance or otherwise with the Freedom of Information legislation.
Contact details for the ICO are: Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. [2]www.ico.org.uk
Telephone 0303 123 1113.
Yours sincerely,
Craig Miller
Information Governance Officer
Information Governance Team
Corporate Resources
City of Doncaster Council
Address Floor Two, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU Website
[3]www.doncaster.gov.uk
Follow MyDoncaster on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news
Please treat the content of this e-mail as confidential. If you have
received this e-mail and
it is not addressed to you please accept my apologies and inform me as
soon as possible.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.ico.org.uk/
3. http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/
Dear Ginny,
Apologies, that was a draft that was sent to you.
Below is the final response.
Kind Regards
Dear Ginny,
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 5th April for
information about Peel Lease, Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Please find
below City of Doncaster Council’s responses to the questions you have
raised.
1. copies of the final heads of terms and the executed lease agreement
entered into with the Peel Group.
2. the final set of briefing documents provided to councillors on the
proposed lease as part of the approval process.
3. The value of subsidy provided to the Peel Group through this
transaction.
4. If the argument is that a subsidy is not conferred from the
transaction, then provide all supporting evidence to substantiate this.
5. public funding to create an airport that would not otherwise be able to
operate could be considered to amount to a subsidy to air carriers. Are
there safeguards in place to avoid such a situation occurring? If so,
information on this is requested.
6. Has any advice been provided by consultants on the value for money &
subsidy control aspects of this transaction? If so, these are requested.
7. should any documents not be shared due to exemptions under the FOIA,
please provide the total number of documents not shared.
Response:
This information is exempt from disclosure under Section 43 of the Freedom
of information Act. Section 43 exempts information from the right of
access under the Freedom of Information Act if disclosure of the
information would prejudice someone’s commercial interests. The City of
Doncaster Council believe disclosure of this information may be considered
advantageous to competitors and would be likely to cause commercial
prejudice to the provider involved.
As Section 43 is a qualified exemption, the City of Doncaster Council is
obliged to consider whether disclosure of the information would be in the
public interest before refusing to supply the information. Therefore the
City of Doncaster Council has taken the following factors into account:
Factors for disclosing information
• To release the information would be in the spirit of openness
and transparency in which the Council operates
• We recognise that decisions and plans should be open to
accountability
• The information may be of interest to members of the public
Factors for withholding information
• Disclosure would be likely to adversely affect the company’s
commercial interests as disclosure of the information may damage the
relationship with the council
• Disclosure may weaken the position of the organisation in a
competitive environment
• The information could be used by those competitors to gain a
commercial advantage
Taking these factors into consideration, the City of Doncaster Council has
decided that the reasons for withholding the information outweigh those
for disclosing it and we will not be providing the information at this
time
City of Doncaster Council estimates that it has cost £46 to respond to
this request for information.
Reviewing any decisions made:
If you are not happy with this reply you can ask us to review our
response. To do this write to us within 40 working days of receiving your
response at the address below or email [1][email address]
If you do not agree with the review decision you can apply to the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a decision about our
compliance or otherwise with the Freedom of Information legislation.
Contact details for the ICO are: Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. [2]www.ico.org.uk
Telephone 0303 123 1113.
Yours sincerely,
Craig Miller
Information Governance Officer
Information Governance Team
Corporate Resources
City of Doncaster Council
Address Floor Two, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU Website
[3]www.doncaster.gov.uk
Follow MyDoncaster on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news
Please treat the content of this e-mail as confidential. If you have
received this e-mail and
it is not addressed to you please accept my apologies and inform me as
soon as possible.
From: Freedom of Information Requests
Sent: 30 April 2024 16:36
To: [FOI #1113174 email]
Subject: FOI Request Response - 68453
Dear Ginny,
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 5th April for
information about Peel Lease, Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Please find
below City of Doncaster Council’s responses to the questions you have
raised.
1. copies of the final heads of terms and the executed lease agreement
entered into with the Peel Group.
2. the final set of briefing documents provided to councillors on the
proposed lease as part of the approval process.
3. The value of subsidy provided to the Peel Group through this
transaction.
4. If the argument is that a subsidy is not conferred from the
transaction, then provide all supporting evidence to substantiate this.
5. public funding to create an airport that would not otherwise be able to
operate could be considered to amount to a subsidy to air carriers. Are
there safeguards in place to avoid such a situation occurring? If so,
information on this is requested.
6. Has any advice been provided by consultants on the value for money &
subsidy control aspects of this transaction? If so, these are requested.
7. should any documents not be shared due to exemptions under the FOIA,
please provide the total number of documents not shared. Do we need to say
something here?
Response:
This information is exempt from disclosure under Section 43 of the Freedom
of information Act. Section 43 exempts information from the right of
access under the Freedom of Information Act if disclosure of the
information would prejudice someone’s commercial interests. The City of
Doncaster Council believe disclosure of this information may be considered
advantageous to competitors and would be likely to cause commercial
prejudice to the provider involved.
As Section 43 is a qualified exemption, the City of Doncaster Council is
obliged to consider whether disclosure of the information would be in the
public interest before refusing to supply the information. Therefore the
City of Doncaster Council has taken the following factors into account:
Factors for disclosing information
• To release the information would be in the spirit of openness
and transparency in which the Council operates
• We recognise that decisions and plans should be open to
accountability
• The information may be of interest to members of the public
Factors for withholding information
• Disclosure would be likely to adversely affect the company’s
commercial interests as disclosure of the information may damage the
relationship with the council
• Disclosure may weaken the position of the organisation in a
competitive environment
• The information could be used by those competitors to gain a
commercial advantage
Taking these factors into consideration, the City of Doncaster Council has
decided that the reasons for withholding the information outweigh those
for disclosing it and we will not be providing the information at this
time
City of Doncaster Council estimates that it has cost £46 to respond to
this request for information.
Reviewing any decisions made:
If you are not happy with this reply you can ask us to review our
response. To do this write to us within 40 working days of receiving your
response at the address below or email [4][email address]
If you do not agree with the review decision you can apply to the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a decision about our
compliance or otherwise with the Freedom of Information legislation.
Contact details for the ICO are: Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. [5]www.ico.org.uk
Telephone 0303 123 1113.
Yours sincerely,
Craig Miller
Information Governance Officer
Information Governance Team
Corporate Resources
City of Doncaster Council
Address Floor Two, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU Website
[6]www.doncaster.gov.uk
Follow MyDoncaster on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news
Please treat the content of this e-mail as confidential. If you have
received this e-mail and
it is not addressed to you please accept my apologies and inform me as
soon as possible.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.ico.org.uk/
3. http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/
4. mailto:[email address]
5. http://www.ico.org.uk/
6. http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/
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