Cheshire East to bid for Tour of Britain Cycle Race

Cheshire East Council is to bid for the country's number one cycling event to be staged in the Borough.

It's projected that the Aviva Tour of Britain Cycle Race could generate up to £5m for the local economy, if the Council is crowned a successful host.

Each year, local authorities are given the opportunity to put a compelling bid together to showcase what they have to offer in order to attract the UK's biggest free-to-attend sporting event.

Council Leader Michael Jones backed the bid and said it would be a 'fantastic way' to market Cheshire as a tourist destination. He said: "Not only that, it will hopefully inspire residents to get more involved in cycling initiatives across the Borough.

"We have some of the best cycle routes in the country with stunning scenery and it's this sort of family activity that adds to the health and wellbeing of communities and that's something this Council is committed to.

"It will also be a key driver for tourism, which is already worth £807m to the Cheshire East economy and would help attract even more high-profile national events in the future."

The decision to back the bid was made at Cabinet yesterday (Tuesday). It now means that great sponsorship and promotional opportunities will be available to local businesses. Sponsorship will help off-set the cost of hosting the event and the Council's executive director of economic growth and prosperity, Caroline Simpson, will release funds within the Council's investment (sustainability) earmarked reserve to underwrite the bid for September 2016/17.

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