THE costs and the potential economic boost of the Tour de Yorkshire coming to Teesside next spring have been revealed.

Redcar and Cleveland Council will pay between £100,000 and £125,000 for one leg of the four-day event – which will either start or end in Redcar between April 30 and May 3. 

But councillors at this week’s adults and communities scrutiny meeting heard the sporting showpiece could bring a £3m boost to the region’s economy.

Redcar was announced as a host town for the 2020 Tour last year with the other seven Yorkshire towns revealed last month.

Council reports show the authority will bid for match funding from the Arts Council, the Lottery and the Tees Valley Combined Authority to fund activities around the race. 

Officer Mark Adams said the council wanted to use the Tour to build on the East Klondike race and other events to get more people exercising. 

He added: “It will raise the profile of the borough and promote it being more active.”

The leg will be promoted as “plastic free” to tie in with projects on Redcar seafront – and council bosses are hoping the plan will help the borough become a venue in future Tour De Yorkshire races. 

The build-up will include professional cyclists visiting schools as well as schemes to get youngsters riding bikes and more coaches trained up. 

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Routes for mass participation “sportives” – the cycling equivalent of “Parkruns” – are also being lined up.

The meeting also heard work with businesses, cafes and hotels was underway to help them produce “Tour themed menus”, take-out lunches and accommodation for cyclists. 

Schools and colleges will also be encouraged to adorn the route in Redcar with blue and yellow to celebrate the race.

Mr Adams said: “We’ve spoken to Tour de Yorkshire and we’ll look to build a programme for the day so we can have other races finishing before the main race finishes, so children and young people can cross the finish line with spectators cheering them on.”

A “Tour village” with a free spectator zone is being lined up for the day itself with a music stage and a food court. 

Bosses also want to ensure the Tour has a “legacy” with new businesses set up and more visitors returning to the area. 

Cllr Philip Thomson, Conservative member for Saltburn, said everyone should be proud of the

Tour coming to the borough but he expressed concern about the potential demand on toilets and accommodation.

Cllr Thomson said: “We continue to encourage people to come to this area but I would say there is a dearth of toilets.

“We have one toilet in the centre of Saltburn to service all of the residents and all the visitors – it’s just totally inadequate.

“And there are the opening times which are not entirely convenient. 

“I do think if people are going to go away with good memories of visiting, these are the sort of points we need to address at an early stage, rather than the night before.”

Officers told Cllr Thomson they’d work with organisers to ensure there were enough toilets – and would consider encouraging businesses to open their loos to the public. 

Mr Adams added: “We’ve had some discussions with the Redcar Business Network already.

“We’re looking at exploring AirBnB and some other less traditional forms of accommodation provision to maximise the number of businesses we can get.”

Funding interest

The cost for hosting the men’s race is £100,000 – with an extra £25,000 if the women’s race comes to the borough. 

However, the exact route of the Tour races won’t be announced until January 17. 

Meanwhile, councillors were told funding “wasn’t completely in the bag” from the combined authority but the council was confident of getting money.

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Leader Cllr Mary Lanigan told the committee Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen had said “OK” to extra funding. 

And she revealed social housing firm Beyond Housing was also “keen to get involved”.

Cllr Lanigan said: “I’m down at Wilton on Thursday (December 5) and talking to SABIC and other companies down there – I’m quite sure we’ll get a substantial amount of funding for this. 

“Everybody is excited we’ve got this – and that it’s coming. 

“We will be speaking to all businesses so the impact on Redcar and Cleveland is going to be great.”

Yorkshire pride 

Cabinet member Cllr Steve Kay hailed the Tour’s impending arrival on Teesside as a sign of the borough’s Yorkshire heritage – adding he wished late councillor Chris Abbott was still alive to see it. 

Cllr Kay said: “I think this confirms that policies have changed 180 degrees and we are well and truly back where we should be, in Yorkshire – otherwise the organisers wouldn’t come here. 

“The word Yorkshire is one of the best adverts you could possibly put on anything if you want to sell it, so hopefully this will go a long way towards selling this borough.”

The panel was told studies estimated a £3m boost to the region’s economy from hosting the event 

Cllr Kay took the chance to hit out at some doubters. 

He added: “I’ve already been challenged by some miserable members of the public who think we’re wasting our money – and we should be spending it on something else and something which they feel is more down to Earth and less flamboyant. 

“I’ve been arguing strongly against that – I’m driven by emotion as much as I am by monetary factors.”