Basildon taxpayers could be asked to foot the bill to keep a theatre in their town.

Around £100,000 a year needs to be found to re-open the ailing Towngate Theatre and secure its future.

If the cash were to be found from council tax payers, it would mean £1.49 from every one of the district's 67,000 households.

The theatre's future will be discussed by councillors tonight.

It follows the publication of the long-awaited £10,000 study into the best way to get the theatre open again and ensure it has a future.

The report recognises that the theatre's main problem is its lack of seats.

It also recommends the leasing of the St Martin's Square building to commercial theatre operators and payment of a minimum annual subsidy of £100,000 to secure terms which would benefit the local community.

Three companies are already understood to have expressed an interest.

The authority's £750,000-a-year mortgage for the building expires in 2006.

Penny Betteridge, of Basildon District Arts Association, has welcomed the report's findings.

She said: "I think the report has got a lot of things right.

"We would obviously prefer a trust but at the moment this is the preferable option - as long as the company gives us enough community slots - it will get it open again.

"Bigger companies are now looking at running the theatre because of the council's commitment to subsidising it."

The Towngate closed in August 1998, when management company Arrow Promotions went into liquidation.

Councillor Sylvia Buckley (Con, Wickford South), said she thought the proposal was the best option but was reluctant about spending so much money on one project.

She added: "That's a lot of money to put aside for the Towngate when we have got electorate all over the district who think the money could be spent on other things.

"We are not opposed to the Towngate in principle but the money could be spent throughout the district on a number of services like pavements."

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