Lambeth (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Lambeth Council has cancelled the Country Show, citing escalating costs and legal issues that have made the major community event financially unviable.
Lambeth Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Donatus Anyanwu, stated that
“increased costs in recent years mean the council would need to fund over £1 million to run the two-day event”
in a statement released on Saturday, December 6.Lambeth had previously stated that the money it receives from Brockwell Live’s festivals helps to pay for the expenses of hosting the free community event. Anyanwu said:
“When we are reviewing every area of council spending to meet our budget gap, including vital services, we cannot take a decision that would prioritise this event above statutory services for the most vulnerable in our community.Protecting services for those who most need it means difficult but necessary choices like this.”
The statement was made months after activists who sued the council for shutting down the park during summer festivals won their case in the High Court.The judge ruled on May 16 that Lambeth Council had violated the law by allowing portions of the park to be used for events for 37 days throughout the summer without first getting planning clearance.
The majority of the park’s festivals are part of a series run by Brockwell Live. This summer, Mighty Hoopla, City Splash, and the Lambeth Country Show were among the nine days of events held over two weekends from May 23 to June 8. Lambeth previously claimed that by permitting the commercial festivals to proceed, it was able to avoid spending £700,000 on the free community Lambeth Country Show.
The council claimed to have issued a new certificate of lawfulness following the court’s decision, indicating that the events would still be permitted.The original lawsuit was initiated by activists from Protect Brockwell Park, who said that they would be filing a new lawsuit against the new certificate. According to Lambeth Council, in order to
“enable greater clarity and enable community consultation on the proposal,”
all activities held in the park would now need official planning permission. The choice, they continued, meant that the
“overall program would cut the number of days that the events area at Brockwell Park would be used.”
“Because of the new approach being taken for future events, the council has decided not to contest two outstanding legal challenges in relation to events in Brockwell Park held at the end of May and early June this year to avoid unnecessary costs to the taxpayer.”
“Lambeth has withdrawn its legal appeal against our High Court win, and finally recognised that large-scale events in Brockwell Park must undergo full planning permission,”
stated Protect Brockwell Park. This clear conclusion shouldn’t have required costly court fights.According to them, the park’s festivals bring in £1.8 million for the council annually, but there is a £0.5 million to £3.5 million “loss of public amenity” during these events. However they questioned whether the Country Show could still have been allowed to go ahead:
“We wonder if there is a different way ahead for the Lambeth Country Show. A return to its lower-impact, smaller community led format, with a greater share of the private operator’s profits used to fully fund that event.We expect Lambeth to urgently provide full transparency of the commercial events’ revenues, and engage in a credible, open planning process, with robust impact assessments, and effective enforcement of planning conditions.
Only then can the interests of all park users – residents, wildlife, and event-goers – be properly balanced, and the benefit of this beautiful park be truly secure for future generations.“
How will council cuts affect local community services?
Lambeth Council’s £84 million savings demand over four times driven by central government cuts, high social care/ temporary accommodation demands (70% of budget), andpost-election Labour financial pressures will impact community services through reduced optional spending on libraries, premises , youth programs, road cleaning, and events like the Country Show.
Elimination of Contextual Safeguarding Team in children’s services, cuts to children’s centres, and youth programs, disproportionately affecting Black/ multilateral communities. Country Show cancellation (£1m costs) exemplifies non-statutory event axing; demesne conservation/ road services face trims amid Brockwell Park legal battles.
Council prioritizes statutory scores (grown-up/ child social care, homelessness), tools reclamation freezes elderly operation cuts (£1m savings), and seeks common Southwark edge; resident consultations companion reprioritization, though unions advise of service corrosion without reserves use.