CASH THREAT TO THE TOUR DE YORKSHIRE

FEARS are growing that the future of the Tour de Yorkshire, due to start today, could be in doubt. The event, a legacy of staging the Tour de France’s 2014 Grand Depart, relies heavily on public funding and sponsorship. However, a number of local councils have suspended their backing for under-fire tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire — who created the race — after former chief executive Sir Gary Verity resigned under a cloud in March. Scarborough’s Labour leader, Steve Siddons, said: ‘We need to be clear on where the money is going and what the benefits actually are.’