Eyebrows have been raised over a council’s takeover of a struggling cinema – with residents saying they “wouldn’t trust it to run a bath”. Ashford Borough Council (ABC) is to start operating the town’s Picturehouse cinema by Easter after the Cineworld-owned chain surrendered its lease. Twenty-six jobs have been saved as a result of the move – but there are fears the six-screen site is not worth the investment as it is “often very empty”. ABC, which owns the £75m Elwick Place complex, says stepping in to run the facility is “the only viable option in the short term”. The authority will team up …