Calls to save Wolverhampton's Light House cinema 'in some shape or form' after it closed

The popular venue, based in the Chubb Buildings, closed after a final performance on Thursday after having been a part of the city for more than 30 years.

Wolverhampton Council said it had attempted to offer help to keep the cinema, a registered charity, going but the venue's debt levels were "unsustainable".

But now calls have been made for something to be done to save the site – with the loss being described as a "devastating blow" to the city's cultural offer, alongside the University of Wolverhampton's move to cut arts courses.

Dr Paul Darke, the Green Party candidate for Merry Hill in the upcoming May elections, has written a letter to council leader Ian Brookfield and council managing director Tim Johnson on behalf of his party, urging them to come up with a plan to save it.

He wrote: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the closure of the Light House Cinema and ask you publicly, as the apparent leaders of Wolverhampton, to take immediate action to secure the future of the Light House in some shape or form in light of its announced closure. We hope you will form a task force to secure its premises and equipment for the future.

"We consider it major imperative that the council step in now to facilitate an alternative way in which the the Light House can continue to exist in the future. To let this venue simply die would be negligent on the part of the council.

"The community benefits of the Light House have been immense for over 30 years. The environmental significance (near a station with easy access to the bus stop, and convenient access for those living in the city centre with no car) is something that should not be lost, nor undervalued."

Dr Darke, who said he has seen first hand the incredible work at the venue due to being a regular visitor, called on the authority to "show support and guidance" potentially to safeguard its future.

He claimed the authority had been "absent" in talks to secure the future of the venue but he described this as "to a degree understandable" as he pointed the finger at cuts made by the Government.

"Cinema is purely the projection of light but it needs vision to see its potential: it is time for the City Council to step and show some vision of its own," the Green Party candidate added.

His calls have been echoed by the likes of Trevor Beattie, a British advertising executive who hails from Wolverhampton, posting on social media the loss of the venue is "very sad news" – adding "please count me in" to any efforts to save it.

Council bosses in the city said the venue had been a "key part of the city's cultural offering for years" and they have always committed to supporting it, with the Light House likely being its biggest single financial backing over the last decade – providing some £333,000 of support.

A spokesman said: "Council officers met with the venue’s management team a fortnight ago to offer additional help. This included a business review, marketing support and providing connections to grant funding opportunities. Unfortunately, though it seems that the venue’s debt levels were unsustainable, resulting in the very sad situation we find ourselves in.

"We are now urgently reaching out to the Light House’s commercial landlords – the company that owns the Light House café space – to discuss the current situation and their potential future plans."

The cinema has closed alongside the cafe. The gallery was closed prior to the venue ceasing to trade on Thursday.