Lambeth council today (5 December) announced the cancellation of the annual Lambeth Country Show which has run uninterrupted for several decades.
The move came as the council abandoned at the last minute its appeal against a High Court ruling in May 2025 that it should have undertaken a full planning permission process before approving work on infrastructure for five “Brockwell Live” festivals in Brockwell Park.
The appeal was due to be heard on Tuesday 9 December.
The council has said, until now, that its use of the infrastructure for the festivals enabled it to keep the country show free.
The council has also agreed to pay the costs of the Protect Brockwell Park (PBP) campaign against large festivals in the park which brought an action leading to the High Court ruling.
PBP said today that it expects a full review of the type and scale of events in the park, “particularly given the commercial profits taken at the cost of the park and the loss of access”.
In a statement, Lambeth council said it is “looking at a new approach” to events in Brockwell Park in May and June 2026 that could cut the number of event days and reduce costs by more than £1m to help deal with the council’s budget crisis and ensure any large commercial events are subject to a full planning application.
Following discussions with Brockwell Live, “It is clear that delivering a free Lambeth Country Show in 2026 would require a substantially increased financial contribution from the council,” it said.
The council must find more than £84m of savings over the next four years, “so providing this level of subsidy for the country show is not justifiable at this time.
“As a result, the Lambeth Country Show will not take place in June 2026.”
Cllr Donatus Anyanwu, Lambeth council cabinet member for stronger communities, said: “We know that many residents will be very disappointed that the Lambeth Country Show cannot continue in 2026, and I share their disappointment.
“Unfortunately, the increased costs in recent years mean the council would need to fund over £1m to run the two-day event.
“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.”
Anyanwu said the proposals for next year balance “the desire to hold these important events which bring joy to hundreds of thousands of people and celebrates our borough’s diverse culture” with reducing the number of event days to “lessen the impact on local people”.
He said the council is also committed “to continuing our investment in our parks to ensure they remain as brilliant assets for our communities”.
To ensure there is consultation allowing interested parties to provide comments and all relevant planning considerations can be assessed, planning permission for the major events planned in the park will be sought.
The overall programme would cut the number of days that the events area at Brockwell Park would be used, the council said.
It said its decision 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 was to avoid unnecessary costs to the taxpayer.
“To enable greater clarity about the status of future major events and enable community consultation on the proposal, an application will be submitted to seek planning permission for the major events planned in the park in 2026,” the council said.
“The application will be considered by the local planning authority in line with statutory processes.”
Protect Brockwell Park charged that the council “continues to be unclear about the costs and revenue associated with events”.
It said this lack of clarity is “especially troubling” given that the council is citing financial reasons for cancelling the country show while allowing commercial events to continue.
PBP said that, based on available information, substantial profits would go to Brockwell Live without providing the country show.
“PBP asks Lambeth to be fully transparent about the income generated from commercial events and how this is being accounted for,” said the campaign.
“Securing planning permission for commercial events is only a partial step – it must be a credible process with proper robust impact assessments and acknowledgment of the permanent damage being done to the park by over-scale events.”
