Charges for hiring rooms at city council-owned community centres are set to increase by hundreds of pounds a year.
Leicester City Council is reviewing fees at its 29 community centres and said it wanted to create a fairer and more consistent system.
However, under the proposed changes, about 250 customers will see their costs rise by between 50p and £12 a week.
The changes will affect community groups as well as other organisations and individuals, such as fitness instructors and further education colleges and, in fewer cases, businesses.
Leicestershire Age UK said some clubs for elderly people hire rooms from the council and are struggling to pay for room hire at current rates.
Age UK executive director Tony Donovan said: "There are obviously costs associated with running community centres and they are going up, in some cases when the number of people using them is going down.
"We have some buildings ourselves and have to raise fees. When we do it we try to give two years' notice.
"Most groups would probably accept an increase at an inflation rate but anything on top of that would cause real problems."
The proposed increases would be on top of a three per cent inflationary rise that came in April.
The new regime is likely to come into force from September. The council said there would be winners as well as losers, with about 100 groups seeing charges fall by about £6.70 a week.
The city council gets about £6,100 a week from the charges – and expects that to rise to £6,400 a week.
The Mercury asked for information about how specific groups would be affected financially but the city council declined to reveal it as it has not yet told the organisations.
It is to write to all parties to tell them how they will be affected by the changes.
Assistant mayor for neighbourhood services, Councillor Sarah Russell, said: "Some may see an increase, others will pay less. We know some groups may need help to meet any increase so we're proposing to phase in any rises over a number of months."
Community centre affected by the changesAfrican Caribbean Centre, Highfields; Newfoundpool Neighbourhood Centre; Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre; Northfields Neighbourhood Centre; Braunstone Frith Recreation Centre; Oak Centre, Braunstone; Braunstone Grove; Ocean Road Recreation Centre, Thurnby Lodge; Coleman Lodge Community Centre, North Evington; Rushey Mead Recreation Centre; Coleman Neighbourhood Centre, Crown Hills; Southfields Drive Community Centre, Saffron Lane Estate; Cort Crescent Community Centre, Braunstone; Southfields Drive Sports Hall, Braunstone; Eyres Monsell Community Centre; St Matthews Centre; Fosse Centre, Newfoundpool; Stocking Farm Community Centre; Gilmorton Community Rooms, Aylestone; The BRITE centre, Braunstone; Home Farm Community Centre, Beaumont Leys; Thurnby Lodge Community Centre; Linwood Centre, West Knighton; Tudor Centre, Mowmacre Hill; Manor House Community Centre, Rowley Fields; West End Neighbourhood Centre; Netherhall Neighbourhood Centre; Winstanley Community Centre; New Parks Community Centre.
