Rennes (AFP)
The budgetary and financial aspect, and not ecological, motivated the final decision of the elected representatives of Rennes not to host the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2021 in the Breton capital, explained Friday the first deputy mayor of Rennes, Marc Hervé.
The elected Greens, who belong to the municipal majority, as well as the mayor PS Nathalie Appéré have been the subject of strong criticism since the Breton capital declined the proposal to host the Grand Départ of the next Tour de France, a highly popular event. The start will take place in Brest.
"What sealed the desire to host a stage rather than the Grand Départ, and not the refusal to host the Tour as it may have been wrongly said, remains the budgetary and financial aspect", explains in a post on his Facebook page the first PS assistant, Marc Hervé, while recalling his "passion" for an event which "nourished [his] youth".
"While it is true that these major events, which Rennes has not missed in recent years (Tour de France 2015, semi-finals of the Rugby Top 14, Women's World Cup ...), have a certain economic impact, they also have a significant financial cost for communities ", reminds the son of former mayor Edmond Hervé.
"The 700,000 euros paid directly by the host city to the organizing company, to which are added several hundreds of thousands of euros in direct services for the Grand Départ, would have been added to the estimated budget for all the other events planned for 2021 ", justifies Mr. Hervé.
"In the current context, each new expenditure can only lead to the cancellation of other expenditure. We must also take into account the consequences of the health crisis and the social crisis to come. We have collectively preferred prudence and reason, ”he concludes.
In a press release Thursday, the elected Greens also pointed out the cost of the event in public money, as well as its environmental cost.
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