![\"image_pdf\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1750780513_960_pdf.png\" "\\"View")
<\/a>![\"image_print\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1750780514_137_print.png\" "\\"Print")
<\/a><\/p>\nFunding for the Tour de France has been approved by Edinburgh councillors, after a senior council officer faced a grilling.<\/p>\n
In response to questioning in a council committee, the city\u2019s chief executive Paul Lawrence, said not seeking approval from councillors to set aside \u00a31.7m for the race was \u201cinappropriate and should have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last Wednesday, city councillors got a memo saying that the leaders of the city\u2019s political groups had agreed in October to set aside the funds for the race.<\/p>\n
But at last Thursday\u2019s full council meeting, several group leaders said no such decision was made, and that the October meeting was limited to providing them information.<\/p>\n
At the time, SNP group leader Simita Kumar said: \u201cGroup leaders were happy for officers to explore this with a decision to rightfully take place in an executive committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no agreement from group leaders to authorise any funding \u2013 we simply do not have the power to do so within this forum.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe governance of this decision has been wholly absent especially when there has been adequate time to bring this decision to committee.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the Finance and Resources Committee meeting on Tuesday, Conservative councillor Phil Doggart asked council officers who made the decision on allocating funds for the Tour de France.<\/p>\n
Gareth Barwell, the city\u2019s Executive Director of Place, said that no binding agreement on the council\u2019s part in the Tour de France had been signed yet, but that it needed to happen by 30 June.<\/p>\n
Doggart continued: \u201cI will try that again, and with another extra clause at the end of it. Why was that not brought to councillors, particularly this committee?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Lawrence said: \u201cI think the report makes plain that it\u2019s the view of senior officers, certainly my view, that that was a mistake, and that that should have happened in that process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report sets out how we are going to remind all colleagues, including myself, actually, that that was inappropriate and should have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cllr Doggart asked a third time, adding, \u201cI still don\u2019t think I\u2019ve got an answer to my not very difficult question. Who made the decision?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Lawrence said: \u201cMyself and other officers, but myself primarily, were approached around the Tour de France.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe consulted with group leaders because of timing, of trying to say, \u2018are we in to this\u2019? But we were absolutely clear that consulting with group leaders was not a decision of the council.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut given that we had a positive steer, I felt we were able to proceed with the ongoing discussions. But when a decision needed to be made, we needed the resources put aside, hence the process that we went through.<\/p>\n
\u201cI now regret, and feel we either should have either come to Culture and Communities [Committee] before that or this committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the decision, signing on the dotted line for anything, no officer has made such a decision because we haven\u2019t set the resources aside to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2027 edition of the Tour will be the first time that both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s races have started in the same country besides France.<\/p>\n
It will also be the first time the race has visited Edinburgh, and the fifth time it has had any of its route inside the UK.<\/p>\n
At Thursday\u2019s meeting, SNP councillor Kate Campbell questioned the spend altogether.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThere is very little explanation really of why we\u2019re making those allocations. We\u2019ve had no reports to councillors, no noted to committee, about the value we\u2019re getting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really don\u2019t know what the benefit to the city is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Committee convener and Labour councillor Mandy Watt said: \u201cIt is a shame that there\u2019s been procedural issues about this, because it\u2019s actually really exciting that this event is coming to Edinburgh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of interest in it. It would be nice if the women\u2019s [race] was starting from here as well, but I think that\u2019s either yet to be decided or not going to be happening.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut still, it\u2019s something to get really excited about. Hopefully, officers could be reminded \u2013 it\u2019s not just councillors being awkward, the process is there to protect the officers themselves when they take decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the process had all worked as if we would have hoped, we would have all been really excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Council officers will provide regular updates to councillors on the progress of the funding, and what it is being used for, going forward.<\/p>\n
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n