Town MP joins Sutton Chamber members at the movies

Royal Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce members went to the movies – for an exclusive event with the town’s MP Andrew Mitchell.

Mr Mitchell joined Sutton Chamber president Gary Phelps for a Q&A session at the refurbished Royal Cinema.

The session covered a host of topics affecting business, including the impact of last month’s Budget and the impact of online shopping on the town centre.

Mr Mitchell also discussed the relationship between Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, his role in supporting local firms and entrepreneurs and attracting business investment into the Royal Town – such as Harvey Norman UK, who are soon to open their new HQ in the town centre.

Delegates also heard about how the Grade II listed Royal Cinema was brought back to life by PDJ Cinemas Ltd, having stood empty for long periods after being boarded up at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The cinema has enjoyed a successful rebirth and was recently shortlisted for the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) Cinema of the Year.

Gary Phelps, former editor of the Royal Sutton Coldfield Observer newspaper, said: “It was a pleasure to slip back into my journalistic past to interview Sutton Coldfield Member of Parliament Sir Andrew Mitchell about issues affecting business.

“This kind of event shows the real connectivity that membership of any of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce can provide – bringing local businesses of all kinds together to get a genuine insider’s view of some of the decisions that will shape our town’s future.”

Pictured: From left - Charlie Elliott (head of Royal Sutton Coldfield Chamber), Gary Phelps, Andrew Mitchell and Des Christie (Royal Cinema general manager)