The UKIP group on Cambridgeshire County Council has attacked the council’s plans for events to celebrate the Tour de France as a waste of money.
UKIP councillors say that funding community events to celebrate the race’s arrival cannot be justified while services are being axed, according to Cambridge News.
The council is offering grants for activities that “involve and motivate people to create a lasting and positive legacy”, but council bosses say the money comes from currently unallocated funds, and no extra money will be spent.
Councillor Paul Bullen, leader of the UKIP group on the council said: “I have serious concerns that some of the officers at the county council have been given delegated authority to spend money on a scheme like this which is not part of our statutory provision.
“This money could be spent on the frontline, doing what we have to do like looking after the old and vulnerable and young, not on some project we shouldn’t be contributing to at all.”
His colleague Cllr Peter Reeve said the council should not be “throwing money into having a party” when the Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon faced closure in a bid to save £20,000.
A county council spokesman said: “When Welcome to Yorkshire asked Cambridge to become part of their bid to host the third stage of the Grand Depart 2014, both Cambridge City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council made it clear we were happy to support the event but would not be making a financial contribution to the costs of it.
“This is the commitment we have made to our local taxpayers. We have always been open and clear with everyone involved in the event that this is our position.
“The cycle legacy small grant fund is to support activities or events linked to and inspired by cycling or Le Tour. The £20,000 fund comes from existing county budgets which are available to help local communities and uses monies from budgets that are currently unallocated – it is not additional funding for delivering the Tour.”
22 thoughts on “UKIP slams Cambridge plans to spend money on Tour de France “parties””
Tour de France offers the
Tour de France offers the Cambridge public to witness the greatest cycling event in the world.
Who wouldn’t agree with it, they witnessed the Olympic torch so they should accept another worldwide event.
well that just shows the
well that just shows the narrow mindedness of Ukip..the event will bring a lot more money into the area than it will take out
Seems like the positives of
Seems like the positives of hosting the Tour way outweigh any costs associated
Quote:
looking after the old
Yeah, that’s the kind of people right-wingers usually care so much about. No, wait … the other thing.
Between positive comments
Between positive comments from mainstream politicians, and negative comments from UKIP, I’ll take the latter every time.
Cambridge has got a pretty
Cambridge has got a pretty good deal, hosting the race without paying for it. Admittedly, they get Monday morning, whereas Yorkshire gets the weekend.
Still, UKIP are having to work pretty hard to find something to complain about. They are a miserable bunch of badgers.
Yeah, go back to France where
Yeah, go back to France where you belong, bloody cyclists! We can’t be having with this sort of thing.
Godfrey! The blasted French
Godfrey! The blasted French are coming and rumour has it they’ve got Romanians hiding in their saddle bags. Fetch the piano wire and get the chap from the New Forest on the blower, there’s work to do.
I totally agree, the
I totally agree, the government had to bail out Yorkshire’s bid, why pump more money into it when services are being cut….
Gkam84 wrote:I totally agree,
Except that’s not ukip’s real objection is it? They’re a bunch of anti-tax anti-state libertarian fantasists who couldn’t give a monkeys about public services, especially to ‘the vulnerable’.
The idea of celebrating the arrival of, not just foreigners, but foreigners on PUSH BIKES of all things must have burst some blood vessels at ukip HQ. That’s got to be worth the price of a few meals on wheels surely?
The Govt had already budgeted
The Govt had already budgeted money towards the bid which Scotland put in, Yorkshire got it so it seems reasonable to move the money already budgeted to the winning bid £20m investment for minimum £100m return seems a good bet though
langsett wrote:The Govt had
However, it was the Scottish government that had allocated the funding from their devolved administration budget. Nothing to do with Westminster
Gkam84 wrote:I totally agree,
Clegg was asked by a reporter if funding would be available, he said yes. I struggle to see how anyone has “bailed” the Yorkshire bid. tbh anything has got to be better than watching the constant bore of the slight ramp of box hill.
Leodis wrote:Gkam84 wrote:I
They were bailed out, they put in a badly prepared plan, they didn’t have the correct funding in place to put forward their plan, then they went cap in had to the government for funding….total crap.
Ok, they will go on about the economic benefit…but that’s to ONE area of the country, yet we are all paying for it and the government won’t get their £10 million back from the Yorkshire bid….
Gkam84 wrote:Leodis
They were bailed out, they put in a badly prepared plan, they didn’t have the correct funding in place to put forward their plan, then they went cap in had to the government for funding….total crap.
Ok, they will go on about the economic benefit…but that’s to ONE area of the country, yet we are all paying for it and the government won’t get their £10 million back from the Yorkshire bid….— Gkam84
Sounds like sour grapes to me, there is no evidence of this just press releases from a bitter Westminster quangos who backed and funded the Scotland to London bid to win Scottish votes and too keep the London centric nobbers happy spreading lies trying to take over Yorkshires bid.
Just a shame Tour de Yorkshire isn’ hosting all three stages.
Did these idiots see London
Did these idiots see London during the Olympics?
I happened to accidentally come across the Women’s 20km walk whilst going to meet up with a friend. There were crowds 10 deep at the barriers all the way around the course.
All the other free events I went to (Women’s triathlon, both road races, the TT day) were similarly mental
In summary, as a nation we fucking love sport, especi4ally free events like this. Cambridge UKIP can go shove their petty objections up their hairy hoops. 😉
Whatever the whys and
Whatever the whys and wherefores of UKIP policies, I find that I’m in agreement with them on this matter. Gkam’ comment is spot on. The economic benefits of Cambridge hosting the Stage 3 depart are likely to be marginal at best given the costs.
Coming from an Irish family I
Coming from an Irish family I can’t tell you just how amusing I find it that money being spent on cycling instead of a museum for Oliver Cromwell is annoying the bollocks off UKIP.
We Geordies are the lucky
We Geordies are the lucky ones, two big events on our doorstep. I am booked up for TDF Grand Depart and The Commonwealth Games road races 😀
Not the first time UKIP have
Not the first time UKIP have been accused of race hatred….
Dreamf0x wrote:Not the first
Very good 🙂
Dreamf0x wrote:Not the first
http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab186/gleeb73/My%20gif%20collection/applause.gif