Why the long face? Mayoral pony barred from local pub
WHY did the Devonian mayor have a long face? One answer is he found himself barred from his favourite pub, another is he’s a Shetland pony.
Less than a fortnight ago, Patrick, the four-year-old pony, made history after it was proclaimed mayor of Cockington following a campaign by villagers.
But just a week later, celebrations were brought to a halt as officials from Torbay council decreed Patrick was no longer allowed to visit a listed pub after a complaint was made.
For the past two years, Patrick, who works as a therapy pony, has been a regular at the Grade II listed Drum Inn. It would visit the pub with its owners, Kirk and Hannah Petrakis, and graze in the garden in an “interaction pen”. Patrick was even said to enjoy the occasional sip of Guinness.
Such was its popularity that when the unofficial mayor of Cockington died, a petition was launched for Patrick to assume the role and he was awarded the title on July 23. Now, however, council enforcement officers told the pub it would need planning permission for Patrick’s pen. They say the land needs to be reclassified from “pub garden” to “official grazing land”.
Yesterday, Mr Petrakis said: “Someone made a complaint to the council. It just feels very unfair.”
Patrick Cain, who lives nearby in Torquay, has created a petition in favour of the council allowing the pony back on the pub’s lawn. He said: “Torbay council need to stop being so petty.”
A Torbay council spokesman said: “This is in a designated conservation area and is next to a listed building, and we need to ensure historic areas like this are protected from unauthorised development.”