Nick Brown, the Conservative councillor for Bishop Monkton and Newby, has put together a list of wide-ranging questions he wants Harrogate Borough Council to answer about its involvement in the 2019 UCI Road World Cycling Championships in Harrogate. 

The list of 12 detailed questions, seen by The Stray Ferret, shows Cllr Brown believes there are still many serious issues around the UCI which need examining- from the council’s role in bringing the nine days of racing to town, to the liability for repairs to the Stray in the wake of the event.  

Cllr Brown, who declined to comment on his list, has already presented it to members of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission, which holds the council’s executive to account. The Commission meets this Monday to establish the scope of its investigation into the preparation for, and consequences of, the cycling event.  

Some of Cllr Brown's 12 detailed questions:

• Is there any likelihood of compensation to those organisations who lost considerable amounts of money, through no fault of themselves?  


• What insurance arrangements were in place for the event and who precisely arranged them?  


• What due diligence did HBC do on Yorkshire 2019 to ensure they had the assets and abilities to reinstate the Stray in the event it became a mud bath?

The list of questions concludes with a comment from Cllr Brown: “In view of the huge sums of money involved in running events such as the UCI, at a significant potential cost to our council tax payers, we should... give priority to our, hopefully, constructive investigations but above all take more note of the needs of all our residents and businesses.” 

Harrogate Borough Council declined to comment on Cllr Brown's list saying the Overview and Scrutiny Commission is yet to take a decision on the terms of reference for its examination of the UCI event.

UCI Image courtesy of Tony Bailey