Matt Mavir hits out at new guide for stag and hen parties in York

The online guide for York was created to help deter revellers from rowdy behaviour - and to remind them to be safe and considerate when visiting the historic city.

But the new guide has been branded “cringeworthy” by the boss of stag and hen party provider, Last Night of Freedom.

Matt Mavir, managing director of the firm, said the 885-word guide offered little in the way of practical advice - and that the “patronising” tone could potentially deter visitors to the city.

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Mr Mavir said: "A guide should be useful and informative to anybody reading it. Unfortunately, this is neither.

"Instead, it focuses on providing quite bland advice, such as pointing out there’s CCTV and that the police are there to help. Both are good things, but do they really need emphasising?

“The public expect a bit more meat on the bone from a guide - and I believe anybody who read this for practical tips before visiting York would feel a little short changed.”

The businessman said he took particular issue with one section of the guide, which urges visitors to “use your venue’s loos and check where the public toilets are and their opening times”.

He added: "All that does is remind adults where they can legally wee, which is incredibly patronising and a bit cringeworthy.

“The guide itself acknowledges the vast majority of groups to York respect the city, so why remind people that urinating in public is illegal.

“The customers we send to York are generally groups of professional women – doctors, nurses, teachers – not yobs intent of treating it as a toilet. If I read that as a potential visitor I’d feel a bit unwanted.”

The firm said stag and hen bookings have almost doubled since the pandemic (Image: Newsquest)

While York has always been a tourist hotspot, Last Night of Freedom said stag and hen bookings have almost doubled since the pandemic.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to North Yorkshire Police from the firm also found that just a handful of incidents in the city were directly linked to stags and hens, with Matt accusing politicians of incorrectly branding any large groups visiting the city as stags and hens.

Matt said: "The stag and hen industry will welcome anything that makes trips safer and more enjoyable for groups. We, like other organisations, offer a free, well-researched York guide packed with relevant information aimed at enhancing people’s experience and keeping groups safe.

“However, I worry that this is so lightweight and devoid of anything practically useful for the sort of people who visit York, it will just go down as being a waste of taxpayer’s money as it gathers dust online.”