A COUNCILLOR says both Labour and the Conservatives need to take responsibility for the rising costs of Lichfield's new cinema.
Lichfield District Council leader Cllr Doug Pullen and Labour MP Dave Robertson have clashed over the additional £5.5million committed to the project to convert the former Debenhams store into a new Everyman multi-screen facility.
But Cllr Robin Hall, Reform UK representative for Burntwood South at Staffordshire County Council said the blame needed to be shared.
He said:
"It would be more convincing if both sides had not supported the project when it was conceived.
"The Conservatives designed, promoted and drove the scheme forward. Labour supported it.
"Dave Robertson was a district councillor when the original £5.3million investment was approved in October 2022. He was present at the meeting and the minutes record no opposition or abstention from him. The council itself publicly described the scheme as having 'cross-party support'.
"Dave is now demanding greater transparency from Doug about the additional money. That is perfectly legitimate, but residents are also entitled to ask what Labour challenged when the original decision was taken.
"Unfortunately, neither side is addressing the fundamental questions about the project’s commercial viability and the long-term risks to taxpayers."
Cllr Hall said the cinema development's total cost meant residents deserved clarity rather than "political argument".
He added:
"The Conservatives cannot avoid responsibility for creating and managing the project – and Labour cannot rewrite history and portray itself as an innocent spectator now that the costs have risen.
"Residents deserve better than a political argument between two parties that originally stood behind the same decision. They deserve proper answers."
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