Charities watchdog investigates safeguarding concerns at Newcastle cinema

The charities watchdog is investigating “safeguarding and governance concerns” at a Newcastle cinema where staff have complained that their allegations of sexual abuse and harassment were not taken seriously.

More than 140 current and former employees signed a letter last month demanding a change in workplace culture at the Tyneside Cinema after serious allegations against serving staff were made public on social media.

The independent cinema, which operates as a charity, was founded by the great uncle of the Oscar winner Sir Ridley Scott and has been at the heart of Tyneside’s cultural scene for more than 80 years.

It has referred itself to the Charity Commission, which will decide if safeguarding procedures were properly followed when staff made complaints to management, the Newcastle Chronicle first reported.

The letter, signed by staff past and present, said they were “dismayed by the accounts of how complaints of this kind have been dealt with by the organisation”.

They added: “We feel strongly that existing training policies, grievance procedures and mechanisms for whistleblowing are not fit for purpose.”

The commission said: “In line with our guidance, Tyneside Cinema has reported a serious incident to the commission, in relation to safeguarding and governance concerns … We have now opened a case to examine further and cannot comment further at this time.”

On 1 July, the cinema said it commissioned an “independent, wide-ranging review of all the issues which have been raised, many of which we acknowledge stretch back a number of years”.

In a statement, the cinema’s trustees said: “We want this investigation to be rigorous and to look into our culture and practices and we want to ensure that everyone, including past and present employees, have a chance to contribute fully to this review. We want people to know they will be listened to and their views will help change the future. We cannot undo the past but we will reshape the future for Tyneside Cinema.”

On 1 July, the British Film Institute (BFI) asked Tyneside Cinema to temporarily step back from its leadership role at Film Hub North, set up to support film in northern England. FHN said it would only resume its working relationship with the cinema after the conclusion of the independent review, providing it is “satisfactory to staff and stakeholders”.

Despite some multiplexes reopening on 4 July, the cinema told the Chronicle it was not aiming to start screening again this month.

Last month, Tyneside Cinema entered redundancy talks with 111 members of staff ahead of “unavoidable” job cuts, saying it had lost £500,000 in income during the first 11 weeks of Covid-19 lockdown.