More than 5,000 back Marie Tidball MP’s ‘Save Penistone Paramount’ petition

More than 5,000 people have signed a petition launched by Marie Tidball MP, calling on Reform-led Barnsley Council to reverse its decision to shelve planned investment in Penistone Paramount.

Marie Tidball, the Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, launched the ‘Save Penistone Paramount’ petition after the Council pulled the plug on £1.8 million of planned works at the historic cinema and town hall.

The scheme would have delivered major improvements to the Paramount, including a second cinema screen, a new café and bar and more accessible facilities.

Plans for the next phase of the Paramount’s refurbishment had previously been publicly announced by Barnsley Council, which said the proposals were intended to expand the cinema’s offer and improve the building for visitors, including through a second screening room with wheelchair-accessible spaces and improved café, bar and customer facilities.

The works formed part of Barnsley Council’s Principal Towns and Local Centres programme. Earlier phases of investment have already funded initial work to Penistone Town Hall, with the proposed Paramount improvements intended as the next major stage of investment in the building.

Marie has criticised both the substance of the decision and the lack of engagement with her as the constituency’s Member of Parliament. Reform UK has controlled Barnsley Council since the May local elections, when it won 42 of the authority’s 63 seats.

The petition calls on Barnsley Council to reverse the decision and protect the long-term future of the Paramount, which Marie has described as the “jewel in the crown of Penistone”.

Marie Tidball MP said:

“I’m deeply disappointed by the shocking decision by Reform-led Barnsley Council to pull the plug on this much-needed investment in Penistone Paramount.

“The Paramount is a treasured community asset and one of the jewels in the crown of our town.

"People in Penistone had been looking forward to seeing the next stage of investment deliver a new screen, café and bar and vital accessibility improvements.

“This decision cannot be justified. Other projects in other principal town areas have reached much later stages of investment, while here in Penistone the Paramount was the next stage that we were all looking forward to.

“The response from local people has already been extraordinary. More than 2,000 people signed in less than 24 hours, and that sends a very clear message to the Council about how strongly our community feels.

“I’ll be fighting to get this decision changed. I’d encourage everyone who values the Paramount, whether they live in Penistone or further afield, to add their name and help us show just how much this wonderful place means to people.”

People can sign Marie’s petition at:

https://www.marietidball.com/campaigns/save-penistone-paramount