BARROW has a success story right on its own doorstep and we should take a moment to acknowledge some good news.

Attendances at The Forum have risen year-on-year by more than 3,000 people to 63,000 in an age where the war for our attention is a constant battle. With the town being a bit out on a limb for superstar gigs and the biggest names in showbiz wanting to play at mass capacity venues, people have to travel long distances.

But let’s not overlook the fact that we have a venue in town serving a very devoted local audience.

Not everyone will agree with the programme that The Forum puts on, but entertainment is a broad church.

Just look at the reaction to the appearance of the notorious comic Roy “Chubby” Brown, who was condemned for his past insults and then sold out the venue for two nights. The ultimate test for public events is to try and cater for a wide variety of tastes – safe in the knowledge that you will never please all of the people all of the time.

Councillors now want to dig deeper into how much money is spent on bringing these shows here and whether it’s represents a good return on the investment.

They are right to monitor how taxpayers’ money is spent, but let’s not lose sight of the work staff at The Forum have done to get people through its doors.