Eyebrows have been raised over a council’s takeover of a struggling cinema – with residents saying they "wouldn't trust it to run a bath".

Ashford Borough Council (ABC) is to start operating the town's Picturehouse cinema by Easter after the Cineworld-owned chain surrendered its lease.

Twenty-six jobs have been saved as a result of the move - but there are fears the six-screen site is not worth the investment as it is "often very empty".

ABC, which owns the £75m Elwick Place complex, says stepping in to run the facility is "the only viable option in the short term".

The authority will team up with an "industry specialist" to oversee the cinema, which will operate under a new name when the council takes over.

But many residents have raised fears over the move as the complex has been hit by numerous closures since opening in 2018.

Commenting on Facebook, Adela Goonewardene said: “I really enjoyed this place and it made me go back to the cinema or just spend time in town.

“ABC can't be trusted to run a bath let alone a building/service like this.”

Steve Christopher agreed, saying: “If a cinema chain can’t make money how the hell will the local council?”

And Lara Rose said: “The council taking over is good for the staff but how will it make money?"

ABC is forecasting a deficit of £348,850 in its 2024/25 budget – but the authority says letting the cinema close would “be a bigger financial and economic loss”.

The council is now run by an Ashford Independents/Green Party coalition after the Conservative Party, which launched Elwick Place, lost out in last year’s local elections.

Cllr Noel Ovenden (Ash Ind), the authority’s leader, said: “Picturehouse informed us that they would be walking away from their long-term lease in early 2024.

“We felt it was important to take action. Rather than stand by and do nothing, we decided we should step in and, for the benefit of the local community, do all we can to keep our town centre cinema and entertainment offer at Elwick Place open for business.”

ABC says it "aims to continue the entertainment offer in the town centre, alongside the popular range of eating, drinking and leisure venues at Elwick Place".

It says it will take over the "day-to-day operations" with an “industry specialist providing expert advice and support" – similar to the set-up at the town’s Stour Centre, where Freedom Leisure runs the council-owned site.

Bosses say they have a “few initial ideas” for the cinema’s new name, but state “nothing is confirmed at the moment”.

A spokesman added: “Without our intervention, the cinema would have closed at the turn of the new year, creating immediate job losses and financial loss to the council, not to mention the adverse effect it would have had on other Elwick tenants.

“At this stage the closure of Picturehouse would be a bigger financial and economic loss to both ABC as the landlord and the wider Elwick complex - the only viable option in the short term was the path we are taking.

“It is important that the council provides not just a place to live but creates a community with employment, leisure and cultural facilities and places to go and enjoy. That’s why we believe investing in the town centre is the right thing to do.”

A number of residents have welcomed ABC’s move, with Janet Kemp saying Picturehouse “has been her cinema of choice since it opened”.

She said: “The writing has been on the wall for some time though, because it's often very empty. Hope ABC makes a success of it.”

Yolanda Barker said: “Why are people so negative? Picturehouse announced ages ago it was having financial issues as a company. It could be a positive move.”

In a statement on its website, Picturehouse says it “does not yet know the exact date” for the handover to ABC, but “anticipate the change will take place before Easter”.

“Picturehouse members with Ashford as their preferred cinema can expect to hear from us in the coming week with information and options regarding their membership,” it said.

“Picturehouse tickets will still be valid while the Ashford Picturehouse is operating.

“Screenings planned for the next few weeks will run as normal, and no new shows will be scheduled for the time following the change in ownership.

“If you have already booked a ticket for something later in the year, you will be contacted directly by our customer care team.”

Bosses say the screen five auditorium “is not as warm as we would like” as the heating system is currently broken.

Cllr Brendan Chilton, Ashford’s Labour leader, says he hopes all options for the venue will be considered by the council.

“Labour wants to see a strong cultural offering in the town centre,” he said.

“Labour has set the agenda by championing causes such as a new market, theatre and arts centre to drive footfall and growth in the town.

“In these straightened financial times we need to ensure residents get value for money and all projects are viable.

“We look forward to the publication of the viability study and business plan of the Picturehouse now it is under council control.”

Some of the units at Elwick Place, which features Picturehouse and Travelodge as its ‘anchor tenants’, have never been occupied.

Twenty-seven jobs were lost when Macknade closed suddenly in October 2022, while the Leo and Sage cafe was the most recent departure in December last year.

Cineworld, which will continue to run its cinema on Eureka Leisure Park, filed for administration in the UK last year as part of a restructure.