- Event: Lambeth Country Show cancellation.
- Location: Brockwell Park, Lambeth.
- Reason: Cost-cutting measures by council.
- Reaction: Branded “shocking” by opposition.
- Dispute: Councillors argue over true costs.
- Status: Axed for this year.
The Labour-run Lambeth Council declared earlier this month that the free annual two-day event would not take place in 2026 due to the need for “a substantially increased financial contribution from the council.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) was informed by a Lambeth Labour representative that the event would have cost £1.1 million this year. This is thought to include the £400,000 the council spent operating it in 2025 as well as an additional £700,000 that is typically saved by utilizing Brockwell Live’s personnel and infrastructure.
The Lib Dems contend that as the partnership with Brockwell Live is still in place, it would only cost them £400,000 under the same conditions as 2025, despite Labour’s allegation that the council would have to find this additional £700,000 on its own for 2026.
Lambeth Liberal Democrats believe the council has been “vague and mealy-mouthed” about how the money from commercial events at Brockwell Park is spent and how much of it goes toward the council’s contribution to the country show. They have long demanded clarification on this matter.
Cllr Donna Harris, Leader of the Lambeth Liberal Democrats, said:
“Labour has spent years insisting that Brockwell Live’s commercial events were essential to funding our much-loved Lambeth Country Show.
Yet despite a full month of disruption for commercial events already planned in Brockwell Park next May and June, they have now cancelled the country show altogether. It is an astonishing betrayal of residents and a failure of financial stewardship.”
Brockwell Live is seeking permission to stage up to 32 days of events in the park in 2026 with its parent business now needing to submit a planning application for its summer schedule, after a court order.
The Lib Dems claim to have backed local activists’ proposal for an affordable, scaled-down country show.
In response, a Lambeth Labour spokesperson said:
“Like councils across the country, we are still cleaning up the mess caused by 14 years of Tory and Lib Dem austerity that has wreaked havoc on our communities and finances. In Lambeth alone, we are £116million a year worse off than in 2010.
This damage cannot be fixed overnight. We’ve responded with urgent action, like slashing senior staff by 20per cent, reducing agency spend and taking really difficult decisions such as not staging the much-loved Lambeth Country Show.”
Last month, Summer Events Ltd., the organization behind the Brockwell Live festival series, which includes events like Field Day, Cross the Tracks, and Mighty Hoopla, filed its first-ever planning application for its 2026 schedule.
This implies that locals will be contacted on every event for the first time and will have the opportunity to voice their support or objection.
In the past, Brockwell Live operated under authorized development rights, which is distinct from gaining full planning clearance, which entails local residents’ opinions and input.
A judge earlier this year decided in favor of a group of activists who claimed Lambeth Council lacked the proper planning authorization for the festivals and discovered that portions of the park were being utilized for longer than the allotted 28 days.
In order to minimize “unnecessary costs to the taxpayer,” the council ultimately chose not to appeal the decision, which was scheduled to be heard this month. It claims to have started a “new approach” for the schedule of events in Brockwell Park, which are now subject to full planning permission.
The council’s decision to withdraw its appeal “and finally recognised that large-scale events in Brockwell Park must undergo full planning permission” pleased Protect Brockwell Park activists.
The group added:
“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.”
On December 31, the public was given the opportunity to comment on the ideas for this year’s park events. Lambeth will review the more than 300 answers before deciding whether the entire event schedule can proceed.
Why did Lambeth Council cancel the 2026 Country Show?
Lambeth Council cancelled the 2026 Lambeth Country Show primarily due to raising costs taking over £1 million in subsidies amid a £84 million budget space over four years.
Labour- led councillors prioritized statutory services for vulnerable residents over the free two- day event in Brockwell Park, stating that rising charges despite previouscross-funding from Brockwell Live carnivals made it unwarranble; Cllr Donatus Anyanwu stressed tough choices in reviewing all spending.
A High Court ruling favored cover Brockwell Park on unlawful event warrants, egging smaller demesne event days, full planning operations for large gatherings, and dropping two legal challenges to save taxpayer finances; Liberal Egalitarians disputed the £1m figure, claiming last time’s net cost was under £400k and condemning lack of discussion.
