Aristocratic Landlords Cancel Civic Festivals

In Malton, North Yorkshire, the Fitzwilliam Estate—controlling most of the town’s commercial property—has scrapped the Food Lovers Festival, monthly specialist market, a gourmet 10k and the Christmas market, despite having built the town’s ‘food capital’ brand. Traders say the unilateral move will cut footfall and undermine businesses tied to the place-brand strategy. — It exposes how private estate power can function as de facto local governance, raising questions about accountability, economic resilience, and the survival of feudal ownership structures in modern towns.