THE international cycling races Sir Gary Verity has brought to the region have generated a huge and lasting boost to the local economy.

Staging the events, which have led to unprecedented scenes of community solidarity in some towns and villages, and a less tangible feelgood factor, has come at a cost to the taxpayer.

The hundreds of thousands of pounds hosting councils have contributed has, until now, not received great scrutiny.

Questions have, however arisen this week as North Yorkshire County Council agreed to pay £360,000 towards the Tour de Yorkshire over the next two years on the provision at least 50 per cent of the routes are within the county.

The decision comes just months after the authority’s leadership agreed severe cuts to services, ranging from libraries to buses, and examined what services the council had a statutory duty to offer.

It does appear peculiar that cycling races are being publicly-funded when services such as hospices and air ambulances are reliant on donations.

Arguments for using all available resources to protect the vulnerable, at a time the council is seeking to develop an army of volunteers to help deliver services it says are no longer affordable, are compelling.

However, the council’s leader, Carl Les, points out that the authority has a spectrum of responsibilities, one being to foster the local economy. The county has seen the area showcased on television screens around the world.

The effect the races have had on communities and the enjoyment they have created are also priceless.