A TOWN councillor is calling on film-goers to boycott the Odeon Cinema in Taunton and use Wellington’s Wellesley Cinema instead.

Cllr John Thorne said the Odeon was ‘shamelessly ripping-off parents and other film-goers’ by raising its ticket prices for the school summer holidays.

He said prices for standard adult tickets at the Odeon had risen by at least £1, and in many cases by £2 for the more popular films, and it was a similar situation for children’s seats.

Cllr Thorne said: “Parents and other film-goers in Taunton can save themselves a lot of money by coming to Wellington instead, as prices at the Wellesley are nearly half those of the Odeon.

“I think the Odeon is taking advantage of having a monopoly in Taunton because it thinks people have no choice but to pay whatever prices they demand.

“Putting up prices just in time for the school summer holidays is like an extra tax on parents at a time when many people are already struggling just to afford everyday living costs.

“I am a single parent of two young sons, and I work part-time for a low wage, so I know how hard it can be to cope.

“What the Odeon is doing is morally reprehensible and I have asked our MP Rebecca Pow if there is anything she can do to persuade the company to rethink its pricing in Taunton.

“In the meantime, I would urge film-goers to boycott the Odeon and instead use other cinemas such as the Wellesley.

“The only thing companies like the Odeon seem to care about is the profit line on their annual balance sheet, so if their screens are empty, then we will have their attention.”

Cllr Thorne pointed out the cost of standard adult tickets for the children’s movie ‘Finding Dory’ and the film ‘Jason Bourne’ was £11.25 (£9.75 off-peak) at the Taunton Odeon, compared with the usual £9.25 peak price before the school holidays.

He also contrasted the Taunton prices with those of the Odeon in Exeter, where there were competitor cinemas, which were cheaper at £8.75 (£7.25) and £9.75 (£8.25), respectively.

When Cllr Thorne challenged the Odeon in an online live chat about prices in Taunton, it said: “Price increases are a natural occurrence in business.”

He then challenged the reasons for the differences in pricing with the Exeter Odeon, and found the company was unable to justify its position and ended the conversation.

Cllr Thorne said: “I suspect the Taunton Odeon prices may return in September to pre-school holiday levels, but the Odeon has refused to admit this, telling me that ‘prices do not tend to decrease’.