£7m council cinema plan for Bargoed to be reviewed

A planned £7 million council-owned cinema is to be reviewed by senior councillors, putting the controversial project in doubt.

Rebel Labour councillors called for the review after questions were raised over the cost and funding process of the proposed Bargoed cinema, which is likely to be leased to Odeon if built.

Councillors have previously raised concerns that money generated by the lease would not cover the repayments of a planned £4m loan to fund construction of the building.

However, Labour Council leader Keith Reynolds has said the authority was committed to bringing the project to fruition.

A motion calling for a new business case for the cinema to be drawn up, was submitted to Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee on December 9.

The project will now be discussed by the council’s Cabinet, but councillors opposed to the scheme claimed a decision should be made at a full council meeting.

The review was called by Labour councillor Roy Saralis, of Penmaen. He said: “There are two issues [with the current business case] to consider. One is the regeneration of Bargoed and two, the fact the county doesn’t have a cinema and it would be good for the people of the area.

“The second part has been fulfilled with the development of the cinema in Blackwood. That means a completely new business case needs to be considered and, because of the changes that have occurred and the cuts we are facing, that case is difficult to support.

“This should come back to full council for consideration if the Cabinet don’t agree to change the proposals and I would be very unhappy if it didn’t.”

Blackwood councillor Nigel Dix supported the motion, alongside fellow Labour councillors Jan Jones, Colin Durham, Allan Rees, Jean Summers and Pat Cooke.

He accused council staff and senior councillors of “shutting down the debate” after he was told he could not speak against the plans at the scrutiny meeting.

He said: “I argued in the pre-meeting, as most councillors did, that the decision should go to full council. The monitoring officer didn’t agree, so I will be taking it up with them.

“The fact the original decision was taken by full council means it’s got to go back as the conditions have changed. This decision should not be taken by a handful of people.”

Last month Cllr Dix was brought before a Labour group disciplinary meeting for previously speaking out against the cinema. Labour councillors however voted to keep him within the political group.

Plaid Cymru group leader Cllr Colin Mann has also called for the project to be reconsidered and for a decision to be made by full council.

He said: “When the original decision was made to go ahead with the multiplex cinema development at Bargoed, it was taken by the full council. And that should happen now and not be restricted to the Cabinet.

“This scheme needs to be revisited in view of the changing financial situation now faced by the council and the opening of a cinema at Blackwood at no cost to the public purse.”

Cllr Saralis also raised concerns that council procedures were not followed properly during the meeting.
He said: “When they voted and accepted the motion it did appear to me that they decided to accept the motion before the meeting was in progress, which to me is against the code of practice.

“I’m a bit concerned that a decision was made without the public being present. When you have a pre-meeting you don’t make decisions. The agenda isn’t opened until the public are present.”

Council leader Keith Reynolds said: “The notice of motion was about following the re-tendering process in the right way. It’s coming back to scrutiny anyway and that was passed, I understand, unanimously.

“What we have is a council decision that supports a cinema in Bargoed as part of the regeneration scheme. The regeneration scheme is still council policy and the council is committed to bring that proposal into fruition. The reason that we had to go out for re-tendering is because of changes to our budget and when that’s done we will sit down and make a decision.”