Thousands sign petition to save £1.8m cinema refurb

Nearly 4,000 people have signed a petition to save a project to redevelop a community cinema.

Last week, Reform-led Barnsley Council decided to pull funding for works at Penistone Town Hall, which is home to Penistone Paramount cinema.

Council leader William Brown said the authority would continue to work with partners to "find the best way forward" for the town.

Marie Tidball, Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, has since set up a petition to reverse the decision, which she said was indefensible and undermined the building.

The building in Shrewsbury Road dates back to 1914 and was originally built to house the Carnegie Free Library, council chamber and assembly hall.

According to the parish council, the assembly hall was converted into a cinema and had been used as such for more than 100 years.

The building is still owned by Barnsley Council but the business itself is operated by Penistone Town Council, and run by a team of dedicated staff.

A tender notice issued in February estimated the cost of the cinema upgrades to sit at £1.8m.

On Thursday, Barnsley Council said it had taken the "difficult" decision to stop the project as part of a review of its capital programme.

"The reason for this decision is that we need to ensure every pound of public money delivers the greatest possible benefit for all Barnsley residents," said Brown.

"We are committed to investing in all of our communities, and this review will help make sure future investment is focused where it can have the greatest impact and deliver best value for our residents."

Tidball said she was "disappointed by the shocking decision" and said she was frustrated she had not been consulted or engaged with.

"This decision cannot be justified. Other projects in other principal town areas, as part of the Principal Towns fund programme, have reached much later stages of investment," she wrote online.

"In Penistone, we've had funding on initial works at the town hall, but work on the Paramount was the next stage we were all looking forward to - the jewel in the crown of our great town.

"This flies in the face of what our government is doing nationally to make our high streets thrive and bring our communities together."

The council previously said the work would be funded through the overarching £35m Funding for Principal Towns projects.

Some of the money was used in 2024 to repair the roof of the old town hall.

The BBC has asked the authority to clarify how much of the £35m funding had been allocated to Penistone Paramount.

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