Penrith is a market town and civil parish in the county of Cumbria, England. Penrith lies less than outside the boundaries of the Lake District National Park. Historically a part of Cumberland, the local authority is Eden District Council, which is based in the town. Penrith was formerly the seat of both Penrith Urban and Rural District Councils. From 1974 to 2015 Penrith had no town council of its own, and was an unparished area. The first elections to the Penrith Town Council took place on May 7th 2015.It is in the Eden Valley, just north of the River Eamont. Other local rivers bounding the town are the River Lowther and the River Petteril. A partially man-made watercourse, known as Thacka Beck, flowing through the centre of the town mostly underground, connects the Rivers Petteril and Eamont. For many centuries, the Beck provided the town with its main water supply. Thacka Beck nature reserve provides flood storage which protects homes and businesses in Penrith. Another stream The Myers or Dog Beck flows through and under the south western area of the town joining Thacka Beck near Tynefield Court. (The Dog Beck section was also known at times as Scumscaw Beck or Tyne Syke). In 2014 the pub chain Wetherspoons openend as branch in Penrith naming it after The Dog Beck.