Wakefield council refuses cash for Welcome to Yorkshire

The agency which brought the Tour de France to Yorkshire has been refused a council bail-out, with one councillor referring to its "lavish lifestyle".

Wakefield Council had been asked to approve a £78,000 grant for Welcome to Yorkshire (WtY).

It was part of £1.4m in emergency funding by councils across Yorkshire to help it deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

WtY said the suggestions about its lifestyle were "completely untrue".

The tourism body, which is funded by local councils and tourism businesses, warned in June it faced a £1.4m funding shortfall due to the impact of the pandemic.

The organisation was responsible for attracting the Tour de France to Yorkshire in 2014 and the creation of the annual Tour de Yorkshire cycle race.

Cabinet member Matthew Morley said he believed the agency brought no economic benefit to the area.

"Welcome to Yorkshire have led a very lavish lifestyle, more than they could (afford) really," he said.

He told the cabinet WtY's spending on things such as helicopters would "make the President of America jealous".

However, the organisation's chief executive James Mason said: "We completely refute the comments made in the cabinet meeting relating to the organisation's lifestyle, which may have been the case in the past but has been completely untrue for more than 18 months now."

Analysis - Kevin Larkin, Political Reporter, BBC Radio Leeds

Wakefield Council's refusal to pay to keep Welcome to Yorkshire going could have a wider impact than it might be assumed.

There is currently almost £500,000 sitting in a WtY bank account - it's money from other West Yorkshire councils - but due to a deal between them it cannot be accessed until they all pay up and Wakefield has just said no.

Authorities in North and South Yorkshire have not sent their promised totals of £369,000 and £300,000 yet either.

The West Yorkshire councils who did pay will now have to decide if they move ahead without Wakefield, which could provoke fresh arguments.

Council leader Denise Jeffery said given the pandemic she believed the money was better spent directly in the Wakefield district, though the authority would continue its £12,000 annual subscription to WtY.

Mr Mason told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he was disappointed by the decision.

"We understand this global crisis has also put local authorities under a major strain too, but as we all face these huge challenges it's more important than ever that Yorkshire has a joined-up approach to promoting the fantastic offer we have in all four corners of the county."

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