Cumbria’s new mayoral authority has agreed to offer £4 million to help deliver the county’s Tour de France next year.
Cumbria Combined Authority held its first annual general meeting on Friday.
The men’s Tour de France will begin in Edinburgh on Friday July 2 2027, with the opening stage finishing in Carlisle the same day.
Stage two begins from Keswick on Saturday July 3 2027 through the Lake District and Lancashire to finish on The Strand in Liverpool the same day.
It is estimated it would hopefully bring a spend into the county from visitors of just under £50 million.
Members were told that funding would be split between Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness councils and the combined authority would agree to underwrite it through its revenue investment fund.
The officer said the recommended total fund was £4,045,813 and that an outline business case was expected in July.
He added that costs remained uncertain and it was also proposed to earmark up to a further £100,000 of revenue investment funds if they proved to be higher than expected.
A report prepared for the authority said: “A number of costs requested by the councils also fall within the remit of what a highways authority, which both councils are, would be expected to fund through its normal activities.
“It is accepted that the additional activities from the Tour de France may place a greater pressure on those highways budgets than is currently anticipated by Cumbria Combined Authority officers.
“Should that be the case then it is recommended that the Cumbria Combined Authority offer to forward fund any such costs incurred in 2026-27 by increasing the 2026-27 element of the Transport Revenue Grant approved by the board at its last meeting with a similar reduction to the level of the Transport Revenue Grant provided by the CCA in 2027-28.
“In 2027, the Tour de France returns to the UK for the first time since 2014. This represents the largest international sporting event to take place in the UK since the 2012 Olympics.”
