Rennes' refusal to host the start of the Tour de France 2021, which will finally start from Brest, never ceases to agitate the Breton capital. After several days of controversy, the municipality came out of its silence through the voice of Marc Hervé. In a post published on his Facebook page, the first deputy justified this decision on budgetary and not ecological reasons.
"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 Marc Hervé, while recalling his “passion” for an event which “nourished his youth”.
It highlights "the significant financial cost for communities"
“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, etc.), have an impact economic, 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 “, He justifies. “In the current context, each new expense can only lead to the cancellation of other expenses. 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.
The mayor "not taken hostage by the Greens"
Asked about France Bleu Armorique , Marc Hervé also explained that the mayor Nathalie Appéré, criticized by the municipal opposition, had "decided based on the arguments put forward" and rejected the idea that she would have been taken hostage by the Greens . “We have a plural majority (…) There is a dialogue and a debate in the majority. There are dimensions on which sensitivities press harder, it's true, ”he said.
He specified that Rennes remained a candidate to host a stage in 2021. “But I understood (…) that the controversy could make it more difficult for the city of Rennes to welcome the Tour”, added the elected official. In a press release, the elected Greens also pointed out Thursday the cost of the event in public money, as well as its environmental cost.
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