Nothing illegal here, if due to losses DTV needs more capital injected then that must fall to the share holders, if they include local council, then they must stump up the cash or see a dilution of their share holding as a % of the whole.
It would be very difficult for said councils to stump the cash for an airport that no one seems to want to fly from, whilst at the same time closing what some may regard as essential local public services.
Each council will have a nominated board member to "look after" the councils interest, at least in theory and they be non executive at that ie they don't do any work in day to day running so the fee's will be very little, all will be in the accounts and fully declared no doubt, they may get the odd freebie, air shows or meetings at "airport owners" events.
In my view councils have no business owning airports, market forces decide who stays in business and DTV has dodged the bullet for longer than most, but will ultimately go the same way as Sheffield City i suspect, if it didn't exist no one would propose building it?
I watch with interest what happens to CWL under local Government ownership