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Town councillors bid to buy cinema site for £1
Penistone town councillors have offered Barnsley Council £1 for the town hall that houses the Paramount cinema, aiming to take ownership and find a way to restore the building. Their proposal follows the council’s decision to cancel a planned renovation, putting the future of the cinema and other community use of the hall in question.
The previous administration had approved £1.8m for work including a second, 50-seat cinema, a café and a bar, but Barnsley Council cited a £30m budget gap when it withdrew the project. Penistone’s mayor says the hall needs major work to meet accessibility and fire standards and has no heating, though its roof was recently replaced. More than 4,000 people have signed a petition to save the venue; councillors say ownership could let them seek grants, crowdfunding or borrowing to fund repairs.
In short
- Penistone councillors offer £1 to buy the town hall and save its cinema.
- Barnsley Council cancelled a £1.8m renovation amid a £30m budget gap.
- The town council hopes to fund repairs through grants and other means.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The case for transferring the building centres on enabling local innovation and community engagement. Town councillors, with demonstrated community backing of over 4,000 petition signatures, argue they can pursue diverse funding sources—grants, crowdfunding, and borrowing—that a cash-strapped council administration cannot prioritise. Local ownership provides flexibility, accountability directly to residents, and the motivation to find creative solutions that larger bureaucratic structures may lack. Rather than the building deteriorating further, transferring it for a nominal sum releases an asset and allows those most invested in the community to steward its future.
The case against
The case for caution rests on the substantial material challenges involved. The building requires major work to meet accessibility, fire safety, and basic environmental standards—issues that already exceeded the council's £1.8m budget allocation. Transferring a building with significant unfunded repair liabilities to a smaller local body risks creating a financial burden that cannot be realistically met, potentially condemning the venue to continued deterioration or closure. Local enthusiasm, however sincere, does not necessarily translate into securing the substantial capital investment required to prevent structural decline.
Explained simply
The Paramount cinema is located within Penistone's town hall, a building that serves important community functions. The structure currently requires substantial work to meet fire safety and accessibility standards and lacks heating, although its roof has recently been replaced.
Barnsley Council had previously approved an £1.8m renovation programme that would have restored the cinema and introduced new facilities including a second 50-seat cinema, café and bar. The council withdrew from this project due to a reported £30m budget shortfall, casting doubt on the venue's future.
Strong local support for saving the cinema is evident from a petition signed by more than 4,000 people. Community leaders believe that taking control of the building would allow them to pursue alternative sources of funding such as grants and crowdfunding.