05/02/2026
We fully support Larry. Shame on Lyme Regis Town Council.
Lyme Regis Town Council Continues to Impose Excessive and Potentially Unlawful Pavement Licence Charges on Local Businesses
I’m sad to report that almost a year on from first raising concerns about the unfair and excessive charges levied by Lyme Regis Town Council for tables and chairs outside businesses on Marine Parade, nothing has changed. Despite numerous emails and a face-to-face meeting—attended with the support of fellow representatives from Cobb Traders—I am no further forward and have yet to receive a reasonable justification as to why national pavement licence legislation does not apply in Lyme Regis.
Government legislation, first introduced in 2020 under the Business and Planning Act and subsequently made permanent in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, caps pavement licence fees at a maximum of £500 for new applications and £350 for renewals. Crucially, this is a total fee, not a charge per table or chair. Despite this, Lyme Regis Town Council is charging my Largigi business, £4,500.
I urge town councillors to challenge the actions of the unelected and, in my opinion, unaccountable Town Clerk and to do the right thing by supporting local businesses. Every other council appears to be adhering to the law—including Dorset Council, East Devon Council, and even Westminster City Council. In the heart of London, a pavement licence renewal costs £350, yet in Lyme Regis an anti-business approach sees charges of £4,500 imposed.
The sole justification offered by Lyme Regis Town Council is their claim of ownership of Marine Parade. However, this argument does not stand up to scrutiny. The issue of ownership and application of the act was raised recently in Parliament by MP Edward Morello, and a government minister confirmed that ownership is irrelevant and is not referenced anywhere in the legislation.
Marine Parade is publicly accessible, is listed as a highway in the National Street Gazetteer as maintainable at public expense (with Dorset Council named as the maintaining authority), and is subject to a Public Spaces Protection Order across its full extent. This provides irrefutable evidence that it is a public space and that the pavement licence legislation should apply.
Worse still, the Town Council is in the fortunate position of being wealthy compared with other cash strapped authorities, yet continues to waste public money on pet projects rather than supporting local businesses. One clear example is their Lyme Living magazine mouthpiece, which has a stated budget of a massive £62,700 (Agenda Item 11 in the 15-10-25 Town Council Strategy and Finance Committee Agenda) with potentially other costs to be added to this!
At a time when small businesses are being hit by the Town Council with excessive and potentially unlawful charges, this use of public funds raises serious questions about priorities, accountability, and value for money.
I am grateful for the continued support of the wider business community in Lyme Regis, our Dorset Council representative, and the many customers and members of the public who recognise that local businesses deserve fairness, transparency, and lawful treatment.
Larry Gibbons
Largigi Cafe
20:07
