As part of City of York Council’s vibrant arts and cultural festival, York: Be part of it, a York art gallery is encouraging visitors to the Tour de France to take home a visual reminder of Yorkshire
As part of City of York Council’s vibrant arts and cultural festival, York: Be part of it, a York art gallery is encouraging visitors to the Tour de France to take home a visual reminder of Yorkshire to be enjoyed in the home every day, and inspire a return visit.
The Council has revealed that it is spending £200,000 filling potholes and resurfacing the roads over which Tour de France competitors will ride in July.
Vesper Drive residents pitch to have their cul de sac resurfaced
Competition for the funding is hotting up with some residents (right) spotting an opportunity to get much needed road repairs completed.
The Council has now cancelled the meeting which was to have considered how the supplementary highways resurfacing budget will be spent. No explanation has been given and no new date, for a replacement meeting, has been offered!
Meanwhile the Council has said, in response to a Freedom of Information request, that it still plans to accommodate 800 caravans and 2000 tents on Monk Stray over the tour weekend (5th/6th July).
There is some concern that the “slimmed down” City of York Council has agreed to a programme which is does not have the resources to organise properly.
Only a handful of Councillors have been briefed on the detail of what is happening (or not happening)
Local activity and events organisers in York are being invited by City of York Council to submit their details and become part of the exciting 100 days festival of arts and culture, York: Be part of it.
The festival will complement the Yorkshire Festival 2014 and will welcome the Tour de France Grand Départ to York, building fun and excitement throughout the city up to its arrival on Sunday 6 July.
Anyone wishing to submit an activity or event should go to www.york.gov.uk/tourdefrance and click on York: Be part of it.
Confirmed events which become part of the programme will be included in the online festival listing at www.york.gov.uk/tourdefrance and http://www.yorkfestivals.com/
Residents, businesses and local groups are invited to find out more about making the most of the build-up to and the Tour de France itself, at the next dedicated information session.
On Thursday 10 April, from 5:30pm at the Rowntree Park Reading Café, local people can drop in to find out about arrangements for routes and traffic management, and about camping and caravanning in the city. There will also be information on how to get involved in the cultural festival – York: Be Part of It – and plans for the exciting spectator hubs where people can enjoy the celebrations.
It seems that some local businesses are taking the Councils advice seriously and are trying to make the most of the weekend of the Tour De France Grand Depart.
On Thursdays the Council Leader said that “our main objectives are to ensure local businesses benefit hugely”.
So how much can visitors expect to pay for their trip to Yorkshire on 5th and 6th July? (comparative prices for other summer weekends taken from trip advisor)
Many other York hotels are now fully booked. However many are also fully for most weekends during the summer period!
So there is little evidence to suggest that the kind of excessive price hikes, seen at other major sporting events world wide, are taking place in York
What about camping?
Monk Stray is the only long term (9 days) option still being advertised by Visit York
Parking is now advertised at £8 per day.
You can buy a Tour T shirt for £13.
Amidst growing concern about the escalating cost of staging the Tour de France start in York, the Council has launched a new mobile phone “app”.
It is called Cycle Yorkshire Ride The Routes.
Enabling cyclists to experience the Tour de France route from their mobile, the app is designed around the Yorkshire stages of the Grand Départ and encompasses information on the routes, hints and tips on how to cycle specific sections and general rural cycling road safety advice.
The information is presented in short videos on the app and text (for areas where mobile signal is limited). The film clips show Jamie Sharp (Semi pro rider for Team Hope) cycling each section with Jonathan Cowap (BBC York Radio Presentator) providing the advice and information in the voice over.
The app has been created as part of an ongoing Regional Safer Cycling Project that is the work of a Partnership Team, made up of representatives of every Yorkshire & Humber Road Safety Partnership.
Lead by City of York Council on behalf of the region. Kathryn Mackay, Road Safety Project Officer at City of York Council, said, “The app is aimed at all those cyclists and groups who are coming to Yorkshire to ride all or part of the Grand Départ routes like their professional heroes.
After months of prevarication the York Council has revealed how much of its £1.6 million investment it hopes to recoup from camping, sales and other sponsorship.
The Council Leader said that a business plan had been drawn up earlier in the year; “my expectations on income would have been circa £175,000 directly to the council”.
In a moments panic, he later claimed that the estimate might have to be reduced because of the decision to restrict the opening hours of the camp site on Monk Stray!
Quite how much the Council was planning to charge Monk Stray campers will now be a matter of some local interest.
He went on to say that “our main objectives are to ensure local businesses benefit hugely”.
Some hospitality businesses are already doing hugely well out of taxpayer funded events!
A seemingly endless stream of no expense spared events has been taking place over the last few days.
They culminated in an exclusive dinner last night in Ripon Cathedral which was attended by 2000 people.
Tour De France launch dinner in Ripon Cathedral
NB. Unfortunately the York Council’s Chief Executive failed to attend last nights important Council meeting. Had she been there, she might have been able to advise a floundering Labour Cabinet, on the steps necessary to control expenditure on the “Grand Départ’ before they get totally out of control.
Monk Stray
A 1 day licence for a Tour de France event has been granted but with numerous restrictions.
Labour could appeal against the decision to the Magistrates Court but would find itself in the invidious position of appealing against the views of one of its own committees!
Perhaps significantly, on this occasion, the Licensing panel was made up of 2 Tory plus 1 Labour Councillor.
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Organisers are playing down rumours of a big overspend on the local budget for the Tour de France. Some estimates say that crowd control costs are now likely to be twice the original estimate.
On Thursday the Council Leader has been asked to report to a full Council meeting what income the City has obtained to offset its £1.6 million expenditure on the event.
Tomorrow the Licensing committee will decide whether to permit Monk Stray to be used for camping and other activities connected with the event.
Date: 27 Mar to 6 July