I expect it was E&Y, but at the direction of the Councils who must have spelt out their priorities. So I would not just blame E&Y.
I agree the highest bidder was always going to be the odds-on favourite, but it would have been good to see more weight given to what each bidder proposed to do.
Whoever buys LBA they will still have to invest enough to increase the future value of the airport to realise a profit on their investment. That development will have a significant effect on the local area re: jobs, available destinations, road traffic, noise etc etc.
PTH