NEW evidence has been unearthed in support of Wyre Forest District Council's bid to bring a cinema to Kidderminster.

Councillor Fran Oborski has welcomed an independent report which she claims "greatly strengthens the council's hand in trying to convince cinema chains to come to Kidderminster".

The council came under fire from district MP David Lock two months ago when 16 cinema operators refused to be part of the multi-million pound town centre development.

Council leader Mike Oborski had pointed out that the operators felt there was not a sufficiently large catchment area to warrant a cinema.

But a new report to the environment and development overview and scrutiny committee, of which Mrs Oborski is chairman, states that Kidderm-inster could support an eight-screen multiplex cinema.

The "Wyre Forest Retail and Commercial Leisure Study" was based on a survey of local households.

Mrs Oborski said: "Our officers have already reported the findings to Centros Miller, who are the developers for the Kidderminster town centre redevelopment, with the request that they urgently re-open negotiations with cinema chains on the basis of the new evidence.

"This report produces hard evidence to back up our gut feeling that Kidder-minster can generate enough support for a thriving multi-screen local cinema.

Wyre Forest has been without a cinema since the last one closed in Kidd-erminster in 1982.