PLANS to increase fees and charges for those using Thurrock's Thameside Theatre have been branded "a death by a thousand cuts".

A proposed hike in charges for council services to generate an extra £114,000 a year will hit the Thameside Theatre badly, councillors fear

In a bid to have "full cost recovery" for all its services, the council will introduce a rise in charges for the Thameside Theatre, including and 18.5 per cent increase in performance charges, up from £205 to £243.

Speaking at corporate overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Martin Kerin, Labour councillor for Grays Riverside, said: "Has any impact assessment been made of whether the increase in charges would actually really make a lot of money or whether it would affect the Thameside adversely because less people would be able to afford to use it?

"What I'm worried about looking at the list of all these community charges we could be looking at a death by a thousand cuts. Rather than making money this could end up running down the Thameside."

Cllr Kerin added: "It's well publicised how difficult schools are finding it and with the current economic climate not necessarily being friendly to not-for-profit organisations, we could be depriving those groups of being able to afford to use the Thameside."

Cllr Lynn Worrall said the Thameside annual pantomime could also be in jeopardy. She said: "They've still not got a panto booked because they are not allowed to book months in advance so how can they make the money they need to when they can't even book this year's panto?

"It's the panto that gets them over all of the problems for the year. It's their biggest seller yet they are still not allowed to book the pantomime."

The council is preparing a recovery plan after running up a £1.3billion debt from bad investments.

Steven Mair, Interim Chief Financial Officer, said: "We don't wish to increase charges to reduce income, we want to generate as much income as we can for the council because of the challenges you face"

A financial report outlining services, which are set to rise from October under a "mid year review", includes extra costs for planning, burials and cremations, marriages and civil ceremonies and residents parking permits.