Nearly 4,000 people have signed a petition to reverse Barnsley Council's decision to pull £1.8m in funding for refurbishment work at Penistone Paramount cinema.

The Reform-led council announced last week it would stop funding the project to redevelop the building at Penistone Town Hall on Shrewsbury Road. Council leader William Brown said the authority would continue to work with partners to find the best way forward for the town.

Campaign to save the project

Marie Tidball, Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, has set up the petition to reverse the decision. She said the move was indefensible and undermined the building.

Tidball said she was disappointed by the decision and frustrated she had not been consulted or engaged with. She wrote that the decision could not be justified, noting that other projects in other principal town areas had reached much later stages of investment.

"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," she stated.

Building's history

Penistone Town Hall dates back to 1914 and was originally built to house the Carnegie Free Library, council chamber and assembly hall. The assembly hall was converted into a cinema and had been used as such for more than 100 years. The building is owned by Barnsley Council but operated by Penistone Town Council and run by dedicated staff.

Council's reasoning

A tender notice issued in February estimated the cost of the cinema upgrades 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.

Brown said: "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. 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."

The work was to be funded through the overarching £35m Funding for Principal Towns projects. Some of that money was used in 2024 to repair the roof of the old town hall.