The Isle of Wight Council says it has been left £350,000 out of pocket after the final stage of the 2022 Tour of Britain was cancelled in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
The eight-day stage race had initially been scheduled to conclude with a hill-top finish on the island off the south coast of England in 2021. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic prompted the postponement of the 2020 race, organisers SweetSpot – instead of completely scrapping that year’s route – simply shunted it to the following year, meaning the original plans for 2021 also had to be delayed.
Speaking at the time of the island’s confirmation as the final stage of the 2022 Tour in July 2020, Conservative council leader Dave Stewart said: “Securing the Tour of Britain is a major coup for the Island and just what is needed to help boost the local economy after the devastating impact of coronavirus.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the stunning landscapes of the Island to an international audience, attracting spectators locally and from afar to enjoy world-class cycling. Just as the Isle of Wight is synonymous with sailing, so too I hope we can become a mecca for all things cycling with Tour of Britain and other exciting cycling events in the pipeline.”
> Tour of Britain cancelled following Queen's death
However, with the Tour of Britain finally set for a thrilling denouement on the Isle of Wight as British star Tom Pidcock snapped at the heels of overall leader (and eventual winner) Gonzalo Serrano, the death of Queen Elizabeth II midway through the race on 8 September forced the organisers to cancel the Tour’s remaining three stages.
The Isle of Wight County Press has reported this week that the island’s council has claimed that the organisers’ decision – a necessary one in the circumstances – has cost the local authority £350,000, including the £250,000 paid to SweetSpot to host the event.
The council told the newspaper that its contract with SweetSpot stipulated that in the case of an extraordinary event beyond either party’s control, a ‘force majeure’, the authority would be entitled to a refund of the host venue fees, after real costs had been deducted.
However, despite arguing that SweetSpot is “suitably insured” for such instances, the council claimed that it was “made clear” immediately by the Surrey-based events company that “'it would not be in a position to refund any of the money”.
The council also claimed that, thanks to the last-minute cancellation, they incurred further costs not covered by the organisers, including those related to road closure orders, marketing, and public relations expenses.
While some costs were able to be recouped, the council says they still had to pay around £100,000. Some sponsorship agreements to cover the costs had been reportedly agreed, but these fell through when the stage did not take place.
> Tour de Yorkshire bites the dust – but a new one-day event may replace it
However, the council did acknowledge that some financial benefits had been identified despite the stage’s cancellation.
According to the Isle of Wight County Press, discussions have continued between the council and SweetSpot, with the authority saying that agreement has been reached to provide a sum against a future cycling event on the island, which will be considered by the council’s corporate scrutiny committee on 10 January.
SweetSpot has been contacted by road.cc for comment.