Less than 24 hours after the government questioned the business plan for the Tour de France’s UK visit in 2014, it has confirmed £10m will be committed to the event.
The development comes after a group of 10 MPs from the county petitioned Culture Secretary Maria Miller today to reaffirm the commitment to the Yorkshire Grand Depart’s funds.
This morning reports emerged that Hugh Robertson, minister for sport and tourism sent a letter to Leeds City Council chief executive outlining concerns about Welcome to Yorkshire’s business plan which didn’t account for budget requirements when the race left Yorkshire for the final UK stage between London and Cambridge.
Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon welcomed the £10m announcement.
He said: “This fantastic news comes after months of hard work at Westminster and across Yorkshire from Members of Parliament. The investment will support Yorkshire in making sure we capitalise on the opportunities that come from having the world’s largest annual sporting event in our county.”