Update on Tour de France Grand Départ - including how the £26.5m budget is being spent

The government-backed company that is co-ordinating the Grand Départ of this year’s 101^st edition of the Tour de France has published the first of three ‘readiness’ reports and says that preparations are on time and on budget. The document, released by TdfHUB2014 Ltd, also gives a detailed breakdown of the total £26.5 million budget to host the three UK stages, and outlines actions to be taken over the next six months ahead of the race in July.

The company, whose board is drawn from representatives of organisations involved in the Grand Départ, is chaired by Sir Rodney Walker, former chairman of the rugby football league and Sport England, who said: "A huge amount has been achieved since it was announced that England would host the world’s most prestigious cycle race in 2014. This is thanks to the hard work and collaborative approach of all the partners involved.”

He added: "The publication of [our] report demonstrates that we on track to deliver a spectacular sporting event in six months that the country can be proud of. However, we are not complacent as there is still a long road ahead and many challenges.”

The readiness report outlines the actions to be taken between now and the Tour starting in Leeds on Saturday 5 July:

January

Route finalised

Registration for volunteers closed

Procurement plan published

February

Starts and finishes operational plans signed off

Volunteer selection and screening under way

March

Final plans for operational command in place

Ongoing engagement with communities and businesses on the route

April

Location of spectator hubs finalised

Integrated transport/traffic and crowd management plan in place

May

Safety plans signed off by Safety Advisory Groups

Resilience testing complete

Fete du Tour local events

June

Contingency planning process complete

July

Race

August

Final report and accounts.

The Tour’s last visit to Britain in 2007, when the race spent two days in London and Kent, is estimated to have been worth £90 million to the country and an even greater benefit is expected this time round.

Walker said: "This is shaping up to be the UK’s biggest ever free sport event, and the economic benefit will be in excess of £100 million. I would urge all businesses to seize the opportunity and make the most of the UK being centre stage once again."

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, which saw of a Scottish-led bid as well as one from Barcelona to win the right to host the start of the race, commented: "When Welcome to Yorkshire secured the Grand Départ just over a year ago we knew how much it would mean to the county, its people and its businesses.

“With six months to go we are in a great position to ensure the whole country now benefits from hosting the greatest cycle race on the planet and to make it the highlight of a world class weekend of sport for this country."

Minister for sport and tourism, Helen Grant, commented: "Plans are progressing well for the Grand Départ in Yorkshire and third stage from Cambridge to London. Hosting the beginning of the biggest bike race in the world will bring a great tourism win for those areas and will further cement Britain's love for the sport of cycling."

Central government has committed £9.9 million to the Grand Départ via UK Sport, covering all three stages of this year’s Grand Depart up to the point Stage 3, which begins in Cambridge, then crosses the M25, when responsibility passes to Transport for London (TfL), which is spending £6 million.

Local authorities in Yorkshire, which hosts the opening two stages of the race, are spending a total of £10.6 million, of which £4 million will go on road resurfacing.

The readiness report lays out brief details of the budget for the Grand Départ, broken down between local authorities on Stages 1 and 2, TdfHUB2014 Ltd, and TfL, giving an insight into just what it takes to host three days of cycling’s biggest race, as follows:

Local Authorities (Stages 1&2) (total £10.6 million)

Bid preparation and planning costs (£3.5 million) Bid related and preparatory costs funded by local authorities to secure the event.

Stage 1 (£3.2 million) Delivery of Stage 1 of the event from Leeds to Harrogate, funded by local authorities participating in this stage. This section of the budget includes the presentation of the teams and the Grand Départ in Leeds. It also includes traffic management, highways works and the necessary infrastructure.

Stage 2 (£3.9 million) Delivery of Stage 2 of the event from York to Sheffield, funded by local authorities participating in this stage. This section of the budget includes traffic management, highways works and necessary infrastructure.

TdFHUB2014 Ltd (total £9.9 million)

Core Funding (£4.8 million) This section of the budget complements local authority budgets for delivery of the event, eg public communications, volunteer management, spectator infrastructure etc. It also covers costs which apply to the event as a whole eg licenses, insurance, legal services etc.

Spectator Safety (£1.9 million) This section of the budget will be used specifically to enhance local authority provision for spectators of stages 1 & 2, supporting crowd management plans and helping to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience locally.

Stage 3 (£1.2 million) This section of the budget is specifically to support the event costs incurred for Stage 3 outside the M25, excluding police planning costs.

Contingency (£2 million) This will only be made available through an approval process and can potentially be accessed by TdFHUB2014 Ltd or by local authorities or other partners.

Transport for London (total £6 million)

Technical requirements (£0.7 million) This section of the budget includes bid and technical costs linked to hosting the event in London, eg Street Infrastructure Removal/Remedial Works/Traffic Policing Unit.

Event delivery (£3.3 million) This section of the budget will fund traffic and crowd management and associated infrastructure costs including barriers, pedestrian bridges, large screens, radio comms, steward resource, toilets, first aid etc. Event delivery also covers the Travel Ambassador programme, venue hire for Press Centre and fit out, Public Liability insurance and effectiveness research as well as the additional staff resources required to deliver the event.

Marketing and communications (£1.2 million) This section of the budget is specifically for public & stakeholder engagement, website costs, cycling promotion, Travel Demand Management communications and route dressing.

Contingency (£0.8 million) Assume 20% project risk.