At a time when pubs are facing increasing financial pressures, with many closing, Penrith Town Council will on Monday evening vote to charge one local pub £900 to use a patch of pavement on the Cornmarket — even though documents show the council does not actually own the land it is charging for.
The £900 fee would allow the Board and Elbow to place outdoor tables in front of the Cornmarket Bandstand from April to September 2026.
This is in addition to the pavement license from Westmorland and Furness Council with an application fee of upto £500.
When the bandstand was transferred from the former Eden District Council to Penrith Town Council in 2018, the district council admitted:
“The Council does not have documentary title to land on which both the Town Clock and the Cornmarket Bandstand are situated.”
Eden District Council never proved it owned the land. Instead, it had simply maintained and controlled the bandstand and surrounding space for years, and passed on that responsibility — not ownership.
Councillors will be asked on Monday to ratify the £900 fee for the Board and Elbow’s 2026 outdoor seating, which would allow the pub to place tables outside:
Monday–Saturday: 11am–9.30pm
Sunday: 12pm–9.30pm
The council would also remain the “sole arbiter” if other events require the space. For example, outdoor seating will not be permitted on May Day (4 May 2026), when the Cornmarket hosts parts of the town’s mayday event, and the area may be temporarily closed during the town councils planned wayfinding signage installation works.
The town council will also set fees on Monday evening for other uses of the bandstand, as well as for trading and events on the council’s Thacker Beck Field and Fairhill land.
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