Tour de France road repair costs revealed

Some of the costs of hosting part of next year’s Tour de France in Lancashire will come out of the county council’s road repair budget.

The authority says that the prestigious event will “require a contribution” from its highways capital maintenance programme.   That is the cash pot that pays for resurfacing schemes, pothole fixes and the upkeep of bridges, streetlamps and traffic lights.

The fund is worth £72m for the 2026/27 financial year – more than three quarters of which is earmarked for maintaining the 4,600 miles of carriageway that Lancashire County Council looks after, as well as its footpath network.

The allocation of the funding was agreed at a cabinet meeting earlier this month.  A report presented to members noted that the authority was obliged to “enter into legal agreements” relating to Lancashire’s participation in Stage 2 of the ‘Grand Depart’ of the 2027 Tour – which will come with an unspecified cost.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has asked the Reform UK-run county council how much has been set aside for that purpose from the highways maintenance fund – and from which tranche of it – but the authority has not so far provided a figure nor commented more broadly.

However, it is understood the money will be used to carry out work on the highway in order to ensure the 80-mile route through Lancashire is fit to stage the event.   Separate, additional funding from the county council’s day-to-day – or revenue – budget will also be needed, according to the cabinet report.

It has been estimated via independent modelling that Lancashire’s involvement in what is one of the world’s biggest sporting spectacles could boost the county economy by as much as £15m.

The £72m highways maintenance programme was, as it is every year, itemised in detail when approved by cabinet members – with the exception of any Tour de France-related spending.

One part of the budget allocated £500k for what was described as “planned additional maintenance”, but no further specifics were given – potentially leaving it open for use in facilitating the event.

Almost £21m has been reserved for scheduled resurfacing and pre-emptive repairs on more than a hundred roads and footways – an annual undertaking designed to maintain the condition of the main A, B and C-class routes across the county.   The delivery cost of those projects is £12.5m, with the difference being spent on so-called “supporting activities”, such as preventative treatments, patching work required prior to resurfacing and any necessary geological surveys. However, it is theoretically possible that the contribution to the Tour costs could come from within that £8.5m buffer   None of the named schemes are identified as having been included because they are on the event’s route.

Meanwhile, it is expected that at least £28m of the total maintenance fund will be spent filling in potholes that appear during the year ahead – a figure which could increase depending how many defects materialise at the minimum 40mm depth that guarantees their repair.  That unpredictability makes that particular element of the maintenance pot an unlikely candidate for assisting with any Tour spending.

The cabinet authorised the county council’s Director of Highways and Transport, in consultation with the Director of Law and Governance, to “negotiate and enter into such legal agreements as are necessary” to host and deliver stage 2 of the 2027 event.

Liberal Democrat county councillor David Whipp – who last week made an unsuccessful call on the authority to review how it prioritises funding for highway repairs within its overall capital programme –  told the LDRS he was “very much in favour” of Lancashire hosting the Tour.

However, the politician – who also leads Pendle Council – said that it should be funded “in a way that doesn’t undermine the rest of the work that the county council should be doing”.

Meanwhile, Azhar Ali, leader of the Progressive Lancashire official opposition group at County Hall, said the roads on the Tour’s route through the county were going to have to be in “immaculate condition”.

He added:  “That’s going to cost a couple of million pounds at least, I would have thought.   And it’s important that it’s not just the route [that is well prepared], but everything in the surrounding area.

“So it’s not going to be a small amount – it’s going to be a multi-million pound operation.  But [it comes with] a huge economic boost to – and promotion [of] –  Lancashire.

“It will raise millions of pounds for the local economy, for hotels and for hospitality – so that’s really welcome,” said County Cllr Ali, who noted that Blackburn with Darwen Council will have to bear the costs for the part of the route that lies within its borders.

When Lancashire’s place on the 2027 Tour de France route was announced in January, county council leader Stephen Atkinson said:  “This is an incredible opportunity for people in Lancashire to see world class cyclists pass through the cities, towns and villages they live in.  Some people will only have to open their front door and they will have a front row seat to watch sporting history unfold.

“People across the globe will be able to see what a beautiful part of the world we live in and why I, and many others, are so proud to be from Lancashire.

“With Stage 2 being on a Saturday this is a brilliant opportunity for people to stay longer in Lancashire – and I hope they will visit local businesses and stay overnight to explore more of what Lancashire has to offer.”

The Tour de France will begin in Edinburgh on Friday 2nd July, 2027, with cyclists heading through Lancashire the following day, after arriving from the Lake District en route to Liverpool.

The riders will showcase the county to a global audience as they pass through places including Carnforth, Morecambe, Lancaster, the Forest of Bowland, Clitheroe, Langho, Whalley, Blackburn, Chorley, Wrightington and Parbold.

The route features a mix of fast sections and demanding climbs, including so-called ‘King of the Mountains’ ascents in the Trough of Bowland and over Rivington, plus an intermediate sprint to ramp up the pace.