Camberley Theatre’s steady diet of tribute acts and high profile pantomimes are proving a hit despite critics saying the offering has been dumbed down.

The arts centre has increased the number of people through its doors, while lowering its cost base to the point it has returned to profitably.

This is key for Surrey Heath flagship theatre as the cash-strapped borough has said it must pay for itself following work to remedy RAAC crumbly concrete, as well as the authority’s own financial constraints.

It has since undergone a staffing restructure that it says improves resilience while savings about £16,000 a year.

Officers told the Wednesday, May 15 performance and finance scrutiny committee: “In terms of audiences, total footfall has increased significantly to over 45,000. Overall attendance has risen to 74 per cent for each performance.”

The council has also introduced a donation scheme which has resulted in 16 as per cent of online bookings currently including additional voluntary contributions.

The officer added: “Overall the theatre is performing very strongly, financially, operationally and in terms of value to the community.”

Critics say the theatre has sold out to reach its goals by focusing on tribute bands and cover acts rather than truly reflecting the cultural scene in the borough.

Cllr Murray Rowlands (Labour: St Michaels) said: “The situation is that we have a theatre, which is being used very often for things which are not associated with arts.

“There doesn’t seem to be much of a concern that it should improve its arts performance and it’s not happening.

It’s sad to report that we are now contributing to the theatre, around £140,000 we’re paying in, and we’re not achieving the objectives that we wrote in terms of the arts.

Cllr Morgan Rise (Liberal Democrat Mytchett and Deepcut) took a different view.

He said: “I understand that you don’t like tribute bands or that they may not be to your taste, however, the theatre is continuing to perform better and better,

“Occupancy is up, we are actually seeing more community uses. The cultural offering in Surrey Heath is not dependent solely on the theatre, we have a wide and diverse borough that can provide a whole host of cultural offerings .

“I was clear that the theatre has to operate as a commercial venture for it to be able to stay open. So it’s really unfair to say that the theatre is not doing what it’s supposed to.

“We are seeing more and more people coming to the theatre and it’s a draw for Camberley to be able to have more people coming into our town.”

Officers added that they were struggling to squeeze in all touring professional shows such was the demand, adding “the calendar is filling up with people banging down the door to hire us.”

Cllr Morgan Rise said: “You may dislike tribute bands, but the reality is people book and people go to them.

“People enjoy going to them because…you know what… they may not be able to go see their Abba Voyage in London to see that show, so they’ll come and see a tribute act.

“That’s not a bad thing.”