The full cost of a planned cinema in Bargoed should be made public before a decision to build it is made, councillors have demanded.
The call comes from Plaid Cymru after rebel Labour councillors forced the issue back to cabinet.
It is understood a new re-tendering process is underway, but those opposed to the cinema are angry a final decision will not be made by full council.
Councillor Colin Mann, leader of the Plaid Cymru group on the council said that although the former Plaid administration drew up the plans, circumstances had changed.
He said: “A new cinema operation, with no cost to the public purse, has since opened just a few miles away in Blackwood.
“But also the financial situation of the council has worsened considerably with less money from the Welsh Government and multi-million pound spending cuts having to be made.
“It is very important that this issue is debated by all councillors and that the public see the financial figures spelt out about the initial and long term costs of going ahead with this multiplex.
“That’s the least people should expect. There must be no secrecy.”
Concerns about the project were first raised by Blackwood Labour councillor Nigel Dix, who has said the council has put £1.9 million aside to help fund the £7m project.
He has also said the cost of repaying a £4m loan to be taken out to build the complex would not be fully met by revenue gained from leasing it to a private company.
Cllr Dix said: “This is not a party political issue, we need to recognise that there was once a case for the cinema but things have changed.
“The £1.9m set aside should be used for council services, to protect jobs, or even to reduce the council tax rise for a year.
“I think this should go back to full council so that all councillors can make a decision. I know what my vote will be – this project should not go ahead.”
The ruling Labour group did not wish to comment, but council leader Keith Reynolds has previously stated his commitment to the project.
Speaking to Caerphilly Observer last month, Cllr Reynolds said: “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.”
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet are due to make a decision on the cinema on January 21.
Why bother having the cinema in Bargoed? It will only attract even MORE Boy Racers to the area. It is bad enough as it is, putting up with the amount of cars turning up at Morrison’s Car Park that seems to have become the new ‘Blackwood’. The Police can’t seem to cope with that problem without adding a Cinema to the problem.
Besides, I got told by a ‘good source’ that the original funds for the cinema was used to build the new Aberbargoed Fire Station.
The Police now have power under the Road Traffic Act to deal with boy racers who may commit offenses in Supermarket Car parks. The car parks are considered extentions to the highway for purposes of the law, another issue in these car parks is people being issued with parking tickets, but, mostly, these tickets are illegally issued. No-one other than an `officer` accredited by the Chief Constable, and who wears badges/flashes saying that they are `Traffic Wardens,` or a Police Officer, can issue these financial penalty charges on area designated ` extentions to the highway` and this now includes supermarket car parks,
I have always held the belief that if the case for a cinema was strong enough, Odeon would have already opened a cinema there without council money. The fact Odeon haven’t opened a cinema there indicates the economic case for a cinema there isn’t too strong, and the long-term life of the cinema bleak. The cinema is a vanity project. When will the council learn public intervention in private operations rarely, if ever, work?
The council should not be using taxpayers’ money to set up cinemas. Our money should be saved to be spent on something decent e.g. education, road repairs.
I just hope that the cinema doesn’t go ahead. I live roughly 100 yards from where it would be built, and will be an absolute nightmare dealing with the Boy Racer issue.