Bosses of a Kent cinema say it will struggle to survive if rates in the county’s most expensive car parks are increased again.

The regional manager of the Curzon Westgate in Canterbury says the business has already seen visitor numbers plummet since April when hourly parking fees in neighbouring Pound Lane rose from £2.50 to £3.70.

But Canterbury City Council (CCC) now wants to hike them even further to £3.80, while also increasing the number of car parks in the priciest tariff.

The authority was told it would be “killing businesses” by pushing forward with the proposals, but its cabinet voted this week to put them out to public consultation, with its lead on parking saying “we do not live in a world” where dropping rates is possible.

Antony Bunger, regional manager of Curzon Cinemas, which has a venue in Westgate Hall Road, attended the meeting on Monday to speak out against the plans.

“The proposed increase in car park prices will severely affect Curzon Canterbury Westgate’s ability to operate,” he stressed.

“If the proposed increases go ahead we are unsure if our business will be able to survive.

“Since the most recent parking restrictions have come in, our admissions have dropped by 50% and the revenue of the cinema has been hit quite severely.

“If the car park prices continue to increase we will be forced to review the viability of the Westgate cinema. This is something that we never thought we would need to do.”

Mr Bunger argued a flat £2 rate to use Pound Lane currently in place between 9pm and 7.30am should instead be offered from 6pm.

It is a move that would also help the Westgate Hall - an events venue next door to the Curzon that hosts everything from election counts to charity dinners.

Its chief executive, Clare Millett, says it is facing “a potential loss of £40,000 in 2025 as a direct result of the parking charges”.

“You’re killing businesses with uniform charges of parking,” she told the cabinet.

“Westgate Hall is the largest events venue and community space in the city. We have over 50 charities using our venue and accessing our space regularly.

“We have our regular bookers cancelling events next year as they cannot sustain the charges for parking.”

In April, the city council’s Labour-Lib Dem coalition completely reorganised car parking charges across the district, putting all of its sites into five bands and charging the highest rates in those used most.

For some car parks in Whitstable, it meant increases of £2.10 an hour.

While the council is only proposing a 10p hike to the highest tariff next April, it wants to move two more city sites - North Lane and Castle Row - into the top band.

It is, however, planning to freeze the cost of using 4,000 spaces at the district’s less popular sites, including St Radigund’s, which charges £2.70 an hour and is close to the Westgate Curzon.

Cllr Alex Rickets (Lib Dem), the cabinet member responsible for parking, told the meeting in response to the opposition: “All of these things have to be viewed within the constraints of the budget.

“I would absolutely love, as I’ve said many times, to put parking prices down. However, we do not live in a world where that’s possible.

“The simple fact is that we are in a financial situation where we are forced to do these kinds of things.”

Despite the extra money set to be raised from parking fees, council tax, and other means, the council’s budget report says it is still facing a shortfall of £500,000, which it will have to dip into reserves to meet.

The cabinet voted to put the budget and parking proposals out to a public consultation running between November 14 and January 6.

The authority will consider the feedback before making a final call in February.

Cllr Ricketts stressed: “We do change proposals in response to consultations - this administration has a track record of that already and I don’t see why this would be any different.

“If a great idea comes forward, we don’t know it all and we will jump on it.”