THE Government has pledged £10m to help fund the cost of the opening stages of the Tour de France in Yorkshire.

However, Culture Secretary Maria Miller said the race’s co-organisers Welcome to Yorkshire needed to make major improvements to its plans for the Grand Départ in 2014.

The Tour de France’s director has previously stated he was confident the tourism agency would oversee a world class staging of the event, that will see the first two legs of the race pass through the Yorkshire Dales, Ripon, Harrogate and York.

On Tuesday, Sport and Tourism Minister Hugh Robertson refused Welcome to Yorkshire’s request for funding, stating he did have confidence in the tourism agency’s apparently unsettled budget for the event.

He infuriated Yorkshire MPs by saying he said he wanted more information on the race’s third stage, from Cambridge to London.

Following a meeting with a 15-strong delegation of MPs, Mrs Miller overruled Mr Robertson’s decision, but said the tourism agency’s plans were “not strong enough to deliver the world class event we all want and expect”.

A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said: “The Government wants the Tour De France Grand Depart 2014 to be a huge success and we are working hard, alongside the local MPs, to make that happen.

“We would like to see a more joined-up approach to the organisation of the world’s biggest cycle race which will ensure we maximise the benefits for Yorkshire and the other parts of England that the race will pass through.”

Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith described Mrs Miller’s decision as “fantastic” and said he would work closely with the Government and Yorkshire’s Tour de France team to ensure Yorkshire capitalised on hosting the world’s largest annual sporting event.

He said: “No-one can underestimate what having the Tour de France in Yorkshire means.

"There will be billions watching on television, millions on the streets and thousands of hotels, bed and breakfasts, shops, pubs, restaurants and other tourist destinations benefiting.”

Welcome to Yorkshire said the funding would mean Yorkshire would be left with a tangible legacy from the Tour de France years after it has left.

Gary Verity, chief executive of the agency, said: “With this governmental support Welcome to Yorkshire can now deliver the grandest of grand départs.”