The Star Inn the Harbour: Whitby restaurant to shut blaming council

The Star Inn the Harbour in Whitby is to close on 12 November, its owners say

A Michelin-listed restaurant in North Yorkshire is to close with the owners blaming the local authority for a "lack of support" through the pandemic.

Whitby's The Star Inn the Harbour will close on 12 November, announced co-owner Andrew Pern.

Mr Pern described Scarborough Borough Council as "greedy" for collecting rent during lockdown.

The authority said it had tried to ensure the business could "continue to trade during difficult times".

Chef Mr Pern said the decision to shut the restaurant, which opened in 2017, was taken with "great sadness and a heavy heart".

Chef and owner Andrew Pern described the council as being "greedy and short-sighted"

He said he and co-owner Mike Green had fought "a continuous battle" to keep the site open and criticised the council for having "damaged our chances of survival".

"But the sad truth is that the single main reason we are closing is the almost utter lack of support we have received from Scarborough Borough Council during Covid - just two months' Covid business support.

"The most damaging and miserable fact that marks their card is that they took rent from us and most other businesses in the town during lockdown when we didn't have a penny coming in - how greedy and short-sighted is that in a place which relies heavily on tourism and hospitality?"

Mr Pern, whose Star Inn at Harome restaurant was gutted by fire in a suspected arson attack in November 2021, thanked supporters and staff.

The council said the restauranteur's claims were "nonsense" and said it was "unfair" the authority was being blamed.

"At the restaurant's request we renegotiated the terms of its tenancy. Those terms were agreed in good faith but the restaurant recently walked away.

"Our local support for the restaurant has been in addition to the national help it was eligible for such as Covid grants and the government furlough scheme."

The thatched roof of The Star Inn was extensively damaged in the blaze

The Star Inn at Harome is due to be fully operational by the end of November after it partially reopened on 1 October.