CASH-strapped councils across the region are being urged to justify why they are spending millions of pounds of taxpayers money on the Tour de Yorkshire.

Local authorities are facing calls to further examine the benefits of staging the international cycling race, just days after organisers announced more than two million spectators turned out for the fourth staging of the event.

It is understood costs for the towns and cities hosting starts and finishes of the four-day race are up to £250,000, while North Yorkshire County Council has spent £180,000 on the race for the last two years.

For councils where the race passes through their area, the costs can still mount up to tens of thousands of pounds.

Leader of the county council’s Labour group, Councillor Eric Broadbent, said while it was clear a large proportion of the county’s investment had been used to bring the race route to a “pristine standard”, other roads had been left “looking like a meteor had hit them”.

He said given the financial pressures on frontline services, there should be greater consideration of whether it should be solely sponsored by firms alongside a thorough review of the benefits for residents “as would be done for any other outlay of public money”.

Council leaders say they have a duty to the businesses to promote it as a popular place for people to visit, and studies had shown more than 20 per cent of those at the roadside are from elsewhere in the UK and abroad.

The third stage of this year’s race saw large crowds turn out in Hambleton district.

The district council’s leader, Councillor Mark Robson said its £25,000 outlay on items such as safety barriers had brought clear dividends to the local economy, with lengthy queues outside a wide variety of shops.

He added the authority had declined a chance to start or finish a stage of this year’s race due to the costs.

Councillor Don MacKenzie, the county council’s roads boss, said many of the benefits the race brought, such as community cohesion and the feel-good factor, were unquantifiable.

He said: “I think it does represent good value for the taxpayer. It puts Yorkshire on the map. Two days after the race people are still talking about the Tour de Yorkshire and some fantastic photographs are being beamed out all over the world.”

“It does bring a great number of visitors who spend their money with North Yorkshire’s businesses and shops and encourage people to take exercise, to get out of their cars onto their bikes and even onto their feet. These are unquantifiable benefits, but they are very important.”