> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Labour councillor says Conservative leaders must take responsibility for spiralling cinema costs
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/labour-councillor-says-conservative-leaders-must-take-responsibility-for-spiralling-cinema-costs/
- Published: 2026-07-14T06:30:32.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-14T06:30:31.000Z
- Description: Additional £5.5million of funding being sought for project to redevelop Lichfield's former Debenhams store.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, News

A LABOUR councillor says the Conservative leadership of Lichfield District Council should stand up and be counted over the spiraling costs of the new cinema project.

Members of the local authority will be asked this week to approve an additional £5million for the project.

The council says the extra funds are needed in light of "market conditions, design development and the complexity" of the scheme to convert the former Debenhams building.

An additional £2.84million would be used to complete the redevelopment, while £2.72million would allow it to take full ownership of the finished building.

But Cllr Michael Galvin, Labour representative for Summerfield and All Saints, said he was concerned that the costs could lead to reduced investment in other areas such as Burntwood.

He said senior councillors needed to take responsibility for the situation surrounding the cinema.

> "Cllr Andy Smith, the cabinet member for major projects should clarify what oversight arrangements were in place for the project and at what point the scale of the budget overruns became known.  
>  
> "If Cllr Andy Smith does not consider that responsibility for the oversight of the project rests with him, then the leader of the council Cllr Doug Pullen should explain who was ultimately accountable for the governance and financial oversight of the project.  
>  
> "Given the scale of the reported cost overruns and the concerns they have raised about the impact on future investment across the district, do either believe that they bear political responsibility for what has occurred – if so, have they considered whether their positions remain tenable?"

Cllr Pullen said the extra money was being found without taking it from other areas.

He explained:

> "The additional funding for the cinema will have no impact on our ability to continue our increasing levels of investment in parks, leisure, housing and many other items right across the district, all of which has been funded by making millions of pounds in savings since 2019.  
>  
> "The cinema development itself will be generating almost £500,000 a year in rent.  
>  
> "The governance arrangements were agreed by a cross-party group of councillors, and have always been open to challenge through both the overview and scrutiny committee and the audit committee, but ultimate governance and oversight sits with full council, of which Cllr Galvin is a member.  
>  
> "Clearly this is not a position I would like us to be in – and while much of the detail is commercially sensitive, all councillors have been given full access to that information as soon as we had a complete picture of the situation."