WELCOME to Yorkshire - the tourism body which brought the Tour de France to York - has gone into administration after council leaders from across the region decided to stop funding it.

Chair Peter Box said the board had ‘with deep regret’ decided to place the destination marketing organisation into administration.

He said a decision by Yorkshire council leaders not to commit to a multi-year funding package, whilst understandable, meant it could not continue in its present form.

Yorkshire Leaders Board – made up of council leaders and metro mayors from across Yorkshire – said in a statement that it had unanimously agreed a new approach was needed to the marketing of the Yorkshire region.

It said this followed the recommendation of an independent review of the structure and function of destination management and marketing across the region commissioned by the Leaders Board last November, as well as private sector views.

It said the decision meant that Welcome to Yorkshire would no longer receive public funding via local authorities to promote tourism in the region.

"Yorkshire’s local and combined authorities also agreed to take time to further engage with businesses to develop an organisation that will meet the needs of both public and private sector clients and bring wider benefit to the region," it said.

"Leaders will meet again in May 2022 to agree the timeline for the establishment of the new organisation."

The move comes six months after WtY announced that its flagship Tour de Yorkshire cycling race would not be going ahead this year because the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with escalating financial challenges, had led to agreement that it would be unviable.

It also comes almost three years after chief executive Sir Gary Verity, who brought the world’s biggest cycling race, the Tour de France, to Yorkshire in 2014 and then instigated the Tour de Yorkshire, resigned on health grounds.

The board said then it had investigated concerns about his behaviour towards staff and his expenses and concluded he had made errors of judgement over expenses.

Mr Box said yesterday that the past three years had been’ incredibly difficult’ for board members and staff as it had endeavoured to deal with ‘well-publicised legacy issues.’

“These matters, coupled with the impact of Covid and the task of securing sufficient funding from the public and private sectors to place WtY on a sound financial footing, have made the situation increasingly challenging,” he said.

“I want to pay tribute to the team of talented and dedicated professional staff who have continued to do remarkable work in the toughest of circumstances to promote Yorkshire’s many attractions to the world.

“It is my sincere hope that the public sector will recognise the value of a new regional Destination Management Organisation to build on the many achievements of WtY.”

Armstrong Watson LLP, appointed as Joint Administrators, intend to trade the company for a time while securing the best result for creditors.