In a huge blow to the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby, one of its iconic restaurants Star Inn the Harbour has announced it will close this week due to an “utter lack of support” received from Scarborough Borough Council”.
The harbour-side restaurant is set to close on Saturday 12th of November. Owned by Whitby born and raised Michelin Star chef Andrew Pern, who also owns The Star Inn the city, which has just opened recently after burning down and The Star Inn The City, York.
Pern said: “The most damaging and miserable fact that marks their card is that [the council] took rent from us and most other businesses in the town during lockdown when we didn’t have a penny coming in.
The BBC report that according to Local Democracy Reporting Service, Councillor Janet Jefferson, cabinet who is the member for corporate resources, said in the meeting: “On the finance side, to the best of our abilities we helped them with all the available grants. I’m sorry I can’t give the figures for what they would have received, but everyone in business got free rates, no matter what size they were.
“I’m really sorry that the situation is as it is.”
The cabinet member for inclusive growth, Cuncillor Liz Colling, said: “I would like to emphasise that this council has worked collaboratively with them on the issue of rent, obviously I won’t talk about that in a public meeting.
“But we have really negotiated with them on rent and done everything that is within our power, given that we cannot give them rent-free because we are a landlord for lots of other properties as well.
“They made the decision to close. As I say, we were dealing with them all the way along and in good faith, and we really hoped that they would stay.”
Pern will have his sights firmly on his new venture in the centre of York this Christmas in the warm of the Winter Hutte, a two-storey chalet which will serve classics that you’d find on the slopes in the Swiss Alps
Read More: 11 Of The Best Whitby Restaurants You Need To Visit
