Staging a protest outside Central Government Offices, the Democrats criticised the way Legco had been given no say in setting the charges.

'We believe charges for municipal facilities will surge so that the grassroots cannot afford them.

'The Government is turning cultural and recreational activities into games only for the elite,' the Democrats said.

Deputy Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Maureen Chan Leung Mong-lin dismissed a suggestion to allow district boards to determine charges.

During a phone-in programme on RTHK yesterday, she said district boards would be consulted before charges were fixed by the Government. She denied there would be a lack of public monitoring over charges if the elected municipal councils were axed.

According to the bill, licence fees for alcohol sales or restaurant licences would be vetted by Legco.

Cultural and recreational facilities including swimming pools and drama admission fees would be decided by a new body with the Financial Secretary's approval.

Mrs Chan said Legco's workload would be doubled if it was required to fix hundreds of charges.

'Every penny the new bureau spends will have to be accountable to Legco,' she said.

Mrs Chan said the establishment of the new bureau overseeing food safety and environmental hygiene had yet to be decided.

She said frontline municipal service workers would not be laid off overnight because the Government wanted to ensure a smooth transition after the councils were scrapped.

'We will not fire the workers without reason. We will make sure municipal services remain unchanged on the first day the Government takes over,' she said.