A Trip to the Pictures

Its a bold claim given that we host the Cricket and Rugby Stadiums but I have always felt that the jewel in Headingley's cultural crown is the Hyde Park Picture House. Grade 2 listed and still lit by Gas Lamps enter always make me feel like I have walked through a wardrobe into an Art House Narnia.

Last week I make one of my regular but not frequent enough visits and met Wendy Cook the Manager. I have been around to long to genuflect at public service for the sake of it but its always moving to engage with someone badly paid doing a difficult job because they love it. We had a quick run through staffing, fabric, finances, development and programming and the House is clearly in Good shape. I was concerned to learn about the size of recent budget cuts but they are in surplus and under no immediate or medium term threat. That certainly wasn't the case when I was first elected and much credit goes to several committed managers and Chairs of Theatre Grand Board.

But here in also lies the problem. Leeds City Council owns the Picture House Building but its managed via the arms length Grand Theatre Board. If you are managing 3 premises 2 of which are city wide treasures ( The Varieties and Theatre Grand ) the Picture House will always be at the back of the queue for funding. Now that much needed lottery schemes have been approved at the former approved at the former surely its time for the Picture House to have its day in the Sun? An early priority for my successor should be pulling the Picture House lottery bid out of moth balls. The Building still isn't fully DDA compliant, the toilets are inadequate, the cellar space could be better used and a sympathetic extension might provide a revenue generating cafe space. Its difficult to admit publicly but there is a geographic bias at work here as well. If Leeds City Council had a Grade 2 listed Art House Cinema in the City Centre then it would have been plated with gold a long time ago.

Before I left I had a cheeky sneak into the projection pit and looked down. Watching something depressing with Norwegian Subtitles or staying up late with the Friday night late show are part of the Hyde Park experience. Visiting Wendy has spurred me into doing what Local Councillors do. A few phone calls, a small funding package application and some words of advice. Institutions need day to day repair which is what I have tried to do. However Institutions need every now and again big visionary projects to take them forward every generation. I haven't done that but some one else is going to have to soon.