As the charismatic tourism chief who brought the Tour de France and more than five million cheering fans to the hills and dales of his native county, Sir Gary Verity was honoured for his vision and drive.
So when the man once known as ‘Mr Yorkshire’ suddenly resigned amid claims of financial misconduct and bullying, it was a shocking fall from grace.
Now two former colleagues have spoken out to claim their demanding boss behaved like a ‘monster’, while spending thousands of pounds of public money on wine, restaurant meals and shooting expeditions with the aristocracy.
Sir Gary Verity had been roundly praised for his work bringing the Tour de France to the rolling hills of England. So when the man once known as ‘Mr Yorkshire’ suddenly resigned amid claims of financial misconduct and bullying, it was a shocking fall from grace
Former PA Helen Long, who worked in the Hollywood film industry for ten years before joining the Welcome to Yorkshire tourism body (W2Y), told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The demands of film stars, studio executives, directors and top actors were nothing compared to dealing with Sir Gary.
‘He spent money like a drunken sailor and lived like a rock star thanks to W2Y. The truth needs to come out. His enormous ego was blown out of proportion and the board of W2Y allowed him to get away with it.’
Another of Sir Gary’s former PAs, who asked to be identified only as Paula, said: ‘He became a monster, but the board and senior management allowed it, saying, “You know what Gary is like.” ’
Sir Gary agreed to repay about £40,000 of expenses after his sudden resignation from his £243,000-a-year post in March, citing ‘errors of judgment’ over his expense claims.
According to the two women, Sir Gary’s spending included:
A £2,700 bill for meals, alcohol and entertaining during a two-day hotel stay for a race meeting in York;Up to £600 a day for chauffeured cars to take Sir Gary to shooting days with the Duke of Devonshire – events that cost up to £5,000;Frequent hotel stays in Leeds and London, where he owns flats.The scandal sent shockwaves across the North of England – half of the organisation’s £4 million income comes from the region’s
