
Wetherspoons to open The Angel in Wetherby after licence granted
JD Wetherspoon has been granted a licence to open a new pub in a West Yorkshire town. The company bought The San Angelo restaurant in Wetherby in 2022 and subsequently received planning permission to develop the premises. At a Leeds Council licensing hearing on Tuesday, Wetherspoons was told it could serve alcohol until midnight on weekdays and 01:00 BST on weekends. Two letters of objection from nearby residents had been submitted to the council, citing concerns about public nuisance when the site was previously a pub.
But representing Wetherspoons at the hearing, Nigel Connor said the new premises, which will be called The Angel after the pub that was once based at the site, would have a family-friendly atmosphere. He said: "Food sales will be crucial to this pub. There is no happy hour, no time-related promotions."We have policies and procedures to prevent excessive consumption of alcohol."
'Incidents of disruption'
Wetherby councillor Norma Harrington said most local people had no objections to Wetherspoons and suggested it could help "regenerate the town". But she also voiced concerns over rowdy behaviour from people visiting for events at Wetherby Racecourse.Harrington added: "We have large coachloads of predominantly males coming to race meetings. There have been incidents of disruption and public disorder."Wetherspoons said it would put security in place if required. Councillors decided unanimously to grant the application, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Pool's future in doubt due to 'historic issues'
The future of a public swimming pool has been thrown into doubt after council officials revealed that "extensive" work was needed on the Swimming Pool has been closed since April, when part of the ceiling fell down just weeks after the facilities transferred from the management of Richmondshire Leisure Trust to North Yorkshire to the council, investigations have since uncovered "several historic issues" at the pool will remain closed for at least three months while further surveys are carried out and "all possible future options" are considered. In a statement, North Yorkshire Council said: "In addition to the essential repairs required, we also know that other areas are in urgent need of improvement and key equipment requires replacement."We now want to take more time to assess and compare all possible future options available to us, including the costs and impact of these options." The council said it appreciated the closure was disappointing and apologised for the disruption statement added: "We thank you for your ongoing patience and would like to remind customers that you can use pool facilities at our neighbouring Active North Yorkshire sites."The café and adjacent gym remain open as normal, the Local Democracy Service site was previously owned by Richmondshire District Council until it was dissolved in district authority came under fire in 2022 for giving the trust almost 5% of its income to run the services - and then having to provide an extra £75,000 in funding to cover a 400% increase in energy council also agreed to pay compensation to the trust of up to £85,000 due to lost income from issues with a £1.9m revamp, which included a new heating system and solar panels on the upgrade work took longer than expected and meant the pool had to close for several months in 2023 due to issues with the heating system. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Leading car brand launches new SUV that looks just like a Land Rover but only costs £9,000
A LEADING car brand has launched a new SUV that looks just like a Land Rover and is easier on the wallet. The Chinese car firm have obviously taken inspiration from one of the biggest SUV brands on the market but for a fraction of the price. 1 Chery's 2026 Tiggo 7 Sport and Tiggo 7 Plus have been unveiled with both designs looking almost identical to Range Rover's hugely popular Evoque. But it has one major advantage over its European competitors as its set to hit the roads for £9,000. Pricing for the new Tiggo 7 Sports starts at 87,900 yuan in Asia, or around £9,100. The higher end Tiggo 7 Plus is priced slightly higher at 91,900 yuan or £9,400. Compare that to a brand new Evoque and you're looking at an eye-watering £44,000 with costs even exceeding the £50,000 mark in some instances. It's still not as cheap if you purchase a second-hand Evoque which come in at around £20,000. The new Tiggo is not yet sold in Europe and prices are likely to be higher when the model is eventually made available due to importing costs. But British motorists will be happy to hear that, because of the lack of tariffs on brand-new Chinese cars, they will likely pay considerably less than their US or EU counterparts. In Australia, the Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid has been made available with models hitting the market for $39,990. That would equate to around £19,000 in the UK but this is still cheaper than many Western-build SUVs. The Tiggo 7 is available in a range of fuel types including mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric options. But those keen on getting their hands on one may have to wait a while as Chery intends to first expand to Eastern European markets. Eastern European nations could see a launch in the second half of this year with an initial focus on midsize plug-in hybrid models. The Tiggo 7 Sport comes with a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine variant delivering 115 kW with a six-speed dual clutch transmission. I restored a classic car I found at a scrapyard – now it's award-winning The model also comes with a mesh grille, concealed door handles and 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside, buyers will find a 13.2 inch screen and a multifunction steering wheel. Spend a bit more for a higher-spec model and you'll see higher end features included such as a panoramic sunroof and ventilated front passenger seat. Chery, the largest exporter of cars from China for the past 22 years, exported 1.14 million vehicles globally in 2024. It was announced last year that Chery was set to launch five new models in the UK markets to rival Kia. Chery decided to launch as a standalone brand despite a pre-existing partnership with British firm Jaguar Land Rover.


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Ex-army chief Lord Dannatt lobbied ministers for millions to support commercial deal
A member of the House of Lords lobbied the government to get financial support worth millions of pounds for a commercial deal he was steering, documents reveal. It is the second time that Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British army, has potentially broken parliamentary rules that forbid lobbying. He is under investigation by the House of Lords authorities over a separate set of allegations, following undercover filming by the Guardian. The new documents reveal Lord Dannatt personally pressed ministers and a senior official to give political and financial backing to a venture he was chairing that was seeking to buy a Cheshire factory from a US owner in 2022. After the owner announced they intended to shut it down, Dannatt increased the pressure, urging the government to help. The crossbench peer made three key approaches. First, he contacted a minister he knew, asking for an introduction to the minister who was best placed to make the decision. Second, he sent an email pressing a civil servant to set up a meeting. 'My intervention is to elevate the discussion to ministerial level,' he wrote. Less than two weeks later, Dannatt and an executive behind the bid met Lee Rowley, the relevant business minister, to push for government backing. At issue is whether Dannatt broke the House of Lords rules that bar peers from lobbying ministers and officials in return for payment or financial incentive. Dannatt said he was not paid for engaging with the government. He said he helped a friend, a leading businessperson in the consortium, attempt to buy the factory as he believed it would save jobs and help the country. 'Put simply, I was helping a friend achieve an outcome very much in the national interest,' he said. Dannatt later received four payments during the period he was chairing the venture. He described these as 'honorarium' payments, but would not say how much he received. He was also the public face and 'chairman' of the 'embryonic' venture. Dannatt said his name and position added credibility to the discussions with the US company. 'I am not sure how else a retired four-star general who sits in the House of Lords could be described to the Americans,' he said, but he had agreed to take the title despite there being 'no board to chair, no meetings to attend or other business to conduct'. His involvement with the consortium, which was ultimately unsuccessful in its bid, ended in February 2023. Dannatt has been under investigation by the House of Lords authorities since March after the Guardian revealed he had offered to secure meetings with ministers for undercover reporters pretending to be commercial clients wanting to lobby the government. He had been secretly filmed telling the undercover reporters he could make introductions within the government and that he would 'make a point of getting to know' the best-placed minister. He is being investigated by the House of Lords commissioner for standards, the watchdog who scrutinises claims of wrongdoing in the upper chamber. Dannatt, 74, has previously denied the allegations, saying: 'I am well aware of … the Lords code of conduct … I have always acted on my personal honour.' He is one of five peers to face conduct inquiries after a months-long investigation by the Guardian. The Lords debate project examined the commercial interests of members of the House of Lords amid concerns their activities were not being properly regulated. It revealed that 91 peers had been paid by commercial companies to give political or policy advice. The new documents regarding Dannatt's communications with the government in June 2022 were disclosed under freedom of information legislation. At the time Dannatt was fronting a group of investors who wanted to buy a fertiliser factory in Cheshire. CF Industries, the US owners, planned to permanently close the factory after energy prices made it unprofitable. The consortium of investors argued that their proposal would save 500 jobs and keep important products used in the agriculture and hospitality industries within the UK. On 10 June 2022, Dannatt emailed a junior business minister he knew, asking if he could tell him who was the minister with responsibility for this area. 'If you could point me in the right direction, ideally with an introduction, and I can take it from there.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion He promoted his UK-based consortium as a better 'economic and political alternative' to the closure of the factory. 'The alternative scenario is that a hedge fund buys the factory, sells off its assets and exits with a profit, allowing 500 workers to become redundant, the UK dependent on imported CO2 and no increase in fertiliser production thus the price remaining high.' An introduction to the right minister was made. Six days later, the peer emailed a senior official in the business department, saying: 'I am aware that [Dannatt's friend] has been talking with officials but my intervention is to elevate the discussion to ministerial level. There are some quite key issues at stake here relating to jobs in the north-west and the price of some key commodities.' On 27 June, Dannatt and Mark Law, his friend who was also leading the consortium, met Rowley, then a minister in the business department. The Financial Times has previously reported that the consortium sought a government loan of up to £10m to help restart the factory. The government refused, arguing that it was purely a commercial matter. The consortium later collapsed. Dannatt said he had not had any formal arrangements or contract with the consortium, nor had he discussed with Law what his future role might have been if they had managed to buy the factory. 'My motivation and purpose was to get a deal over the line, in the national interest,' he said. He said any assumption that he 'would have developed a substantive and remunerated role as chairman and taken an active role in the work of the company' was wrong. He added that if the bid had been successful, 'it would have been a very different matter'. As well as the continuing investigation by the House of Lords authorities, another watchdog has examined Dannatt's conduct. Last month, it cleared Dannatt of being paid by the consortium to lobby the government. Harry Rich, the registrar of consultant lobbyists, is responsible for investigating whether individuals have broken the law by failing to declare that they have received money from a third party to lobby ministers or Whitehall's most senior officials. However the House of Lords watchdog is considering the matter under a different set of rules which take a wider view of lobbying than the registrar of consultant lobbyists. The question now is whether, as the consortium's chair, he advocated for the venture on the understanding that he could at some point benefit personally. This could be a breach of the Lords rules. Dannatt has passed his correspondence with the Guardian about his involvement with the consortium to the House of Lords commissioner who is investigating his conduct when speaking to undercover reporters.