WE can understand why some people will ask why councils in the North- East and North Yorkshire spent £500,000 to host the Olympic Torch relay in a time of austerity.

These days, every penny of public spending counts and £500,000 would be a welcome boost for the region’s hard-up local authorities.

However, we believe the money was well spent.

The Olympics helped raise national morale at a time when the entire country was in the doldrums.

The relay brought that once-in-alifetime feelgood factor to our doorsteps.

Local authorities organised the road closures, the organisation, the crowd control and the after-party clean-up operation. Without their participation the relay could not have gone ahead.

As a result of the massive organisation required the Olympic Torch relay was an expensive public participation event.

However, it was also a fantastic opportunity to show the world what our region had to offer.

Newcastle City Council estimates that its contribution to the relay, which included a zipwire stunt involving Bear Grylls, generated an extra £7m in additional revenue – not too shabby for an outlay of £127,500.

Before it began no one could have predicted the Olympics would have captured the public imagination in the way it did.

The torch relay was the beginning of everything that followed.

We are proud the North-East and North Yorkshire played their parts in helping to cheer up the country during hard times. Their participation was priceless.