"The Community Must Be Consulted"

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 11th Feb 2005

After the public meeting in Headingley on the closure of the Lounge cinema, it was agreed that the best way to ensure the community would have its say from now on would be to form a working group to take this forward. 'The Lounge Working Group' is to be a sub-group of the Area Committee.

The group is consider any and all options for the future of The Lounge and will have no favoured options or proposals of its own. it will represent the community and ensure that whatever happens to The Lounge, that the community has its say.

Cllr Marin Hamilton (Lib Dem , Headingley) , as Area Committee chair, has asked Cllr Stewart Golton (Lib Dem Weetwood), who chairs the Headingley Centre Strategy Group, to chair the new group. The group will consist of local residents, local councillors and officers from the Area Committee team to ensure that it has the best advice and information to enable it to effectively represent the community.

Cllr Golton commented, "This is such a important issue to local people that it requires a concerted community response. This group will have the full support of the Area Committee and the Council and this way we can ensure the community has its say on this issue from now on."

This new group will formally approved at the Area Committee meeting at Headingley Primary School on 17th February and The Lounge Working Group will meet the following week. The group will meet regularly and anyone wishing to join this group can contact the area management office on (0113) 305 7380.

In the meantime, Cllr Greg Mulholland has written to Chris Ure of Associated Tower Cinemas asking him to put his plans on hold until the community has had the chance to consider its thoughts on what now happens to The Lounge. As Cllr Mulholland explains, "Mr Ure closed the cinema because of the losses it was making, but now it is no longer operating, I would hope he can put on hold any immediate plans to develop or sell the site in order that the community gets the chance to have its say".