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06
May
Council set to approve £200,000 towards Tour of Britain race
North Yorkshire Council looks set to fund £200,000 towards the Tour of Britain cycling race in the county.
The event is one of the world’s leading cycling competitions, attracting elite international teams and broadcast to more than 100 countries.
York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority previously agreed to work with British Cycling to host a stage of the event this year and in 2027.
The combined authority agreed to use £350,000 of mayoral investment funding to secure the event.
Now, senior councillors on North Yorkshire Council will be asked to approve a contribution to the operational costs, with a further £100,000 of funding per stage of the race requested.
A contingency fund of £25,000 for each of the two stages is also proposed.
However, a council report said any additional costs above the proposed £200,000 in funding, which would be allocated from the authority’s corporate reserves, would be requested to be met by the combined authority.
Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of the council, said:
We have a proud history and a proven track record of staging some of the world’s biggest cycling races and this is an opportunity to once again promote the county to a global audience.
We will consider the proposals carefully when the executive meets and whether to allocate the funding to pay for our operational costs for hosting the two stages of the Tour of Britain.
The council would also be responsible for delivery of “operational requirements” for the race, which includes road closures and traffic management.
According to a report that is due to be considered by the council’s executive next week, the vast majority of the stages will be managed under rolling road closures which would typically be in place for less than 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, the start and finish locations will need a range of requirements including public toilets, car parking and traffic management, refuse collection and bins, safety barriers, first aid provision for spectators and stewards.
Senior councillors will consider the funding at an executive meeting on May 12.
The move comes as Tour of Britain organisers say each stage can generate between £2 million and £12 million for the local economy.
Cyclists on the 2012 Tour of Britain. Pic: Simon Harrod / Wikimedia Commons
Under the proposals, North Yorkshire would host a full stage of the men’s race in 2026, with a further stage planned for 2027.
While the final route is yet to be decided, organisers have indicated a preference for both the start and finish to take place within North Yorkshire rather than York, due to the logistical challenges of staging the event in a city environment.
The route is also expected to include a hill stage.
Leaders say hosting the event would support wider ambitions to promote active travel, boost tourism and attract inward investment to the region.
The county hosted the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ, with the Tour de Yorkshire held from 2015 to 2019.
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