Cancelled festival never had licence to go ahead

A food festival which was cancelled due to "too many challenges" never had the necessary licence to go ahead, the BBC can reveal.

Organisers Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd pulled the plug on the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival last week after a number of celebrity chefs withdrew from the line-up.

It has since emerged the company had failed to secure a premises licence - a legal requirement - before the event scheduled at Skipton's Aireville Park from 18 to 20 July.

While the firm admitted there had been "some issues" with the licence application, it maintained it was "made in good enough time for the festival if it had gone ahead".

A premises licence is needed when a business plans to supply alcohol, entertainment or late night refreshment.

According to public records, Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd submitted an application for a licence to North Yorkshire Council, which owns the park, on 26 June.

The application was subsequently invalidated as there was not enough time to complete the mandatory 28-day consultation period ahead of the event.

The BBC understands Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd had intended to file a Temporary Event Notice as a workaround, but no such documents were ever submitted to the council.

The company denied this, saying: "There were some issues with our original licence application, and we offered a resolution to instead use a series of TENS (Temporary Event Notices) licences for alcohol and entertainment.

"This solution was approved and verified by an event licence specialist.

"We presented this to the council but with the cancellation of the festival, this application wasn't progressed any further."

North Yorkshire Council's corporate director of environment, Karl Battersby, confirmed permission had been granted for the use of the land, but other necessary licences had not been obtained.

"The licence to hold the festival on our land was authorised on 13 May, but the terms clearly state that the organisers had to follow the correct processes to ensure the event would be staged safely," he said.

"If they weren't followed, then we had the right to cancel the licence.

"The applications for the relevant licences were not submitted in time, which was one of the prerequisites for the event."

Last week, chefs James Martin and Galton Blackiston both said on social media that "circumstances outside my control" meant they would no longer be able to attend the festival.

Disco performers Brutus Gold's Love Train also announced their withdrawal "due to the organiser's failure to meet contractual obligations", a claim denied by Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd.

A report sent to the council by an independent safety professional, and leaked to The Yorkshire Post, also alleged a number of safety concerns had been raised before the event.

It said there had been no traffic management plan for the event or fire-risk assessment for the campsite, and no wet weather plan or drainage strategy.

Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd told the newspaper the organisers "do not recognise" the concerns and claimed "robust" plans had been in place.

North Yorkshire Council said it had been working closely with organisers to provide "detailed feedback" on their plans.

Mr Battersby said: "We received the report and considered the points raised, and we were hoping to meet with the organisers to provide further guidance and advice for them.

"However, the event was cancelled before the discussion took place."

It comes after Lichfield District Council banned Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd and associated companies from staging events in the area on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the firm said they were disappointed with the decision and would be seeking legal advice.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.