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 From Left to Right: George McCrone (Penrith Lions Club Member), John Rogerson (Penrith Lions Club President), Mark Rudhall (Deputy Chair of Penrith Town Council & Deputy Mayor of Penrith) Bernard Wood (Penrith Lions Club Member).
Penrith Town Council has approved a grant of £5,000 to the Lions Club of Penrith to support the annual Penrith May Day Carnival.
The Council are pleased to support the Penrith Lions to deliver the May Day Carnival 2024, a free and inclusive street festival which includes a variety of activities such as street stalls, funfair, musical entertainment, cultural demonstrations, static displays and a celebration of the May Queen. The event will take place on Monday 6 May 2024.
Mark Rudhall, Deputy Chair of Penrith Town Council & Deputy Mayor of Penrith said:
"I am delighted to see the Council support another of the town's key signature events – and with that one of the town’s most giving organisations – the Lions Club of Penrith.
“The May Day Carnival provides a fantastic opportunity for local residents to come together and celebrate the beginning of Summer through a fabulous day of entertainment.
“Voluntary organisations like the Penrith Lions put so much time and effort into organising these events for the people of Penrith, and I for one can’t wait to see what they have instore for us.
“I hope everyone who attends the event enjoys the day!"
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John Rogerson, Penrith Lions Club President said:
"Thank you to Penrith Town Council for this £5,000 grant to support us to deliver the 2024 May Day Carnival.
"We are confident that it will support us to deliver a fantastic event for the community of Penrith.
"The May Day Carnival is just one of many activities we organise throughout the year to raise funds for local and international charities, none of which would be possible without the generosity of the people of Penrith and we thank you for your continued support during the year.”
Along with confirmed funding for this year, the principle of an annual £5,000 grant to the Lions Club of Penrith for the delivery of the May Day Carnival over the course of this Council term (subject to meeting the terms of a Service Level Agreement) has also been agreed, demonstrating the Council's commitment to the success of this event going forward.
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At its meeting of Full Council on Monday 29 January 2024, Penrith Town Council agreed its budget for 2024/25 which includes a total expenditure of £581,932 requiring a precept of £487,735.
The precept forms part of the annual Council Tax bill and is the amount of money required to fund Penrith Town Council’s 2024/25 budget.
The budget includes a 1% increase in Penrith Town Council’s portion of the Penrith household’s Council tax bill. The 1% increase means that the typical household in Penrith with a property valued in Band D, will see an increase of 83p per year from £83.09 per property to £83.92.
Doug Lawson, Chair of Penrith Town Council & Mayor of Penrith said:
“The 2024/25 budget reflects the Council’s ambitions for a greener, healthier and more prosperous Penrith with additional budget allocated towards growth items such as tackling Climate Change, Grants for Community Groups and additional capital for the Council to develop projects for Borderlands funding - enabling the Council to potentially unlock hundreds of thousands of pounds of grant expenditure for Penrith.
“This ambition to deliver better for Penrith has meant a 1% increase for households - which follows three successive years of 0% increase.
“I look forward to working with other councillors and officers of the Council to deliver the ambition set out in the 2024/25 budget.”
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Charlie Shepherd, Chair of Penrith Town Council’s Finance Committee said:
“As Chair of Council’s Finance Committee and having worked with my councillor colleagues over recent months, I am pleased to present a budget that Council has approved.”
For more information about the Penrith Town Council proposed budget for 2024/25, please visit the Penrith Town Council website.
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Penrith Town Council has agreed to collaborate with the Eden District Talking Newspaper Association to distribute monthly editions of Penrith Town Council News.
The Eden District Talking Newspaper Association currently records and distributes readings of items of interest from the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald to visually impaired locals each week.
January 2024’s edition of Penrith Town Council News will be the first to be recorded and distributed to visually impaired Penrith locals.
Councillor Hilary Snell, Chair of the Communities Committee said:
"I am delighted to see Penrith Town Council taking further steps to increase the community’s access to information enabling those with a visual impairment to access news of the councils work.
“Through this arrangement, the Council will be able to reach visually impaired people each month.
“All parts of the community should to be kept informed, and it is important that we as the Council do all we can to reach all people within our council area.”
John Poland, Chair of the Eden District Talking Newspaper Association said:
“It is great to see the Council making an effort to communicate with those with a visual impairment.
“The Eden District Talking Newspaper Association provide weekly readings of the news, giving around 70 recipients the independence to do things on their own they would have otherwise needed to get help for.
“However, we know there are more people out there who are blind or visually impaired who may not know about this free service.
“So, if you know of anybody who is registered blind or visually impaired, who would be interested in receiving weekly readings of the news, please contact our Co-ordinator & Secretary Janis Young (07443528991, janisyoung@btinternet.com) or myself (07710035451), who will be able set you or someone you know up on our weekly distribution list.”
The Council resolved to provide the Eden District Talking Newspaper Association with a monthly copy of Penrith Town Council News to include in their recordings at its meeting of Communities Committee on Monday 18 December 2023.
More information can be found on the Council website.
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At its Extra Ordinary meeting of Full Council on Tuesday 16 January 2024, Penrith Town Council agreed to endorse its Arts and Culture Business Case submission to the Borderlands Place Programme Partnership Board to potentially draw down external funding towards town centre improvements.
The Business Case submissions relate to improving the Heritage and Interpretation in the town centre and the improvement of the Penrith Players Playhouse.
The Council are proud to be working with the Penrith Players, giving them the opportunity to draw down funding to transform the Playhouse into a Cultural Hub.
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Thank you to everyone who responded to our survey on applications to potentially designate areas in Penrith as 20mph zones.
We received 272 responses to the survey.
Response data and comments will now be taken to Planning Committee on Monday 5 February 2024, where the different applications will be considered for formal support from Penrith Town Council.
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Former Penrith West Ward Councillor, Jeff Thomson has resigned.
The Council would like to thank Mr Thomson for his service on the Council since his election in May 2023 and wish him well for his future endeavours.
A formal notice of vacancy will follow in the coming weeks.
Damaged Tree at Fairhill following Storm
Following Storm Isha one of the mature pine trees at Fairhill Playing Field was damaged.
The Council commissioned Lowther Forestry to inspect the tree who reported that a dominant limb was torn off resulting in a large stem wound close to where the remaining two limbs are attached. It was reported that the remaining limbs may weaken over time. A pedestrian desire line passes under these two limbs and as such the tree is to be felled.
The Council may seek to replace the tree later on in the year.
Trees removed at Thacka Beck Field
Westmorland & Furness Council has felled a number of dead and dying ash trees on land adjacent to Thacka Beck Field.
The trees were identified as having ash dieback, with Penrith Town Council reporting the issue and liaising with Westmorland & Furness Council for the removal of the trees.
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Annual Fairhill Play Area Inspection Report
The Council had its annual play inspection report for Fairhill Play Area undertaken in January.
The Council is pleased to report that only a few minor defects were identified.
Minor defects will be addressed by the Council including areas of worn grass that will be over seeded in the spring.
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For more information about the Assets owned by Penrith Town Council, please visit: Services & Assets - (penrithtowncouncil.gov.uk)
If you notice an issue with one of our assets, please do not hesitate to get in touch via office@penrithtowncouncil.gov.uk or by phone: 01768 899 773
Any member of the public can attend Council meetings. The Council's upcoming meetings are detailed below with dates, times and venues.
Full Council Meeting
- Date: Monday 25 March 2024
- Time: 6.00pm - 8.00pm
- Venue: Unit 2, Church House, 19-24 Friargate
Finance Committee:
- Date: Monday 18 March 2024
- Time: 6.00pm - 8.00pm
- Venue: Board Room, Unit 1 Church House, 19-24 Friargate
Planning Committee:
- Date: Monday 5 February 2024
- Time: 4.00pm - 6.00pm
- Venue: Unit 2, Church House, 19-24 Friargate
Communities Committee:
- Date: Monday 26 February 2024
- Time: 5.00pm - 7.00pm
- Venue: Boardroom, Unit 1, Church House, 19-24 Friargate
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