Leyburn Town Council has hailed the town’s hosting of the Tour of Britain as a success, while acknowledging that for some businesses and residents the event was not “all raindrops and kittens”.
Hundreds of spectators gathered in Leyburn on Saturday for the finish of stage four of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men, while crowds lined roads through North Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Dales to cheer on the riders.
In a statement following the event, town council chair Cllr Alison Littlewood Laws said she was “immensely proud” of what the town had achieved.
She said the coverage received by Leyburn, the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire through British Cycling, ITVX, live streaming and social media posts from elite cycling teams would leave a lasting legacy and potentially attract visitors for months and years to come.
However, Cllr Littlewood Laws acknowledged there had been concerns.
A number of local residents and some businesses raised concerns about the town’s involvement in the days leading up to event.
Issues included the impact on town centre businesses and the disruption on local roads.
The councillor said: “We know that it wasn’t all raindrops and kittens for some of our businesses and residents, and delivering an event as large as this one for the first time would give us a number of learning experiences.”
The council only learned in mid-June that Leyburn had been confirmed as the finish location, leaving fewer than 12 weeks for a small team of volunteers, supported by the town clerks, to help organise the event.
The council accepted that some people felt communication could have been better and said lessons would be learned if the town hosted another major event.
Cllr Littlewood Laws also said criticism directed towards volunteers and town clerks by a small number of people had been “demoralising”, although positive feedback received since Saturday had been appreciated.
She said race organisers had described Leyburn as the most organised town they had dealt with.
The event was delivered with support from British Cycling, North Yorkshire Council, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and North Yorkshire Police, as well as numerous local businesses, landowners and community organisations.
Fields and other sites were made available for parking, while shuttle buses and additional Wensleydale Railway services helped spectators reach the town centre.
Local groups also provided entertainment and activities throughout the day.
Cllr Littlewood Laws said: “This was an enormous event to help to deliver, and a very short lead time to work with for an event of this size.
“I am immensely proud of what Leyburn was able to deliver to the world.”
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