Member Article

York could be host to new cycling race as row erupts over Tour de Yorkshire over-spending

York could be a main host of a new international cycling race coming to Yorkshire after the success of the Grand Depart this summer.

Welcome to Yorkshire has said that no final decisions have been made yet, however The York Press has seen emails showing that the city is in the running as host for a stage finish and a major part of the race.

This comes as figures emerged showing the council was likely to have overspent by £60k on the event and was saved from further bills by extra money from the Leeds City Region.

A leaked internal paper written by council communities director Sally Burns shows the Grand Departy at Huntington Stadium cost £206k to stage but only brought in £19k, making a loss of £187k.

Council-run campsites lost the authority £33k, and a single supply plan for safety barriers, stewards and medical suppliers left York with a bill £110k higher than anticipated.

However it was also reported that the weekend could have brought in as much as £150 million for Yorkshire - £50 million more than anticipated.

In a statement yesterday, Ms Burns said the plan has come in “broadly within budget” and the overspend of £60k would be covered by the council’s existing events budget.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .