Please read carefully before booking
- The Hirer
The Hirer, not being a person under 18 years of age, hereby accepts responsibility for being in charge of the premises at all times when the public are present and for ensuring that all conditions under this agreement, relating to management and supervision of the premises are met
2. Supervision and responsibilities
The Hirer shall, during the period of hiring, be responsible for :-
a) the administration, organisation and overall supervision of the premises
b) the protection of the fabric and the contents, their care and safety from damage or change however slight
c) the behaviour of all persons using the premises and surrounding area whatever their capacity
d) the proper supervision of safe and considerate car parking arrangements to avoid obstruction of the highway, fire exits or nuisance to neighbouring properties
e) the consideration of local residents in terms of safety and noise, ensuring that the minimum of noise is made on arrival and departure particularly late at night and early in the morning
f) ensuring that smoking is not allowed anywhere inside the Hall
g) the proper supervision of the movement of tables and chairs to minimise risk of injury
h) ensuring that none of the following are brought into the premises – illegal drugs, highly flammable substances, heating appliances, fireworks, animals ( except guide or hearing dogs ) and that no fireworks or smoke machines will be used at the hire event
i) Safeguarding children, young people, and adults at risk You must ensure that any activities for children, young people and adults at risk are only provided by fit and proper persons in accordance with the Children Act 1989 and 2004, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and any subsequent legislation. When requested, you must provide us with a copy of your Safeguarding Policy and evidence that you have carried out relevant checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). All reasonable steps must be taken to prevent harm, and to respond appropriately when harm does occur. Relevant concerns must be reported in accordance with your Safeguarding Policy.
3. Leaving the Hall in good condition
a) The Hirer agrees to be responsible for ensuring that the premises and its associated equipment (including but not limited to crockery, cutlery, electrical appliances and furniture) are left in good and clean condition and particularly at the end of the hire period :-
(1) any decorations put up by the Hirer are removed
(2) that tables are carefully stacked back under the stage and chairs are replaced in the racks at the back of the stage. Particular attention should be paid to moving tables, chairs or other equipment to avoid damage to the wooden floor.
(3) that all surfaces are clean and that the floor is swept. Cleaning materials, mops and brushes are available on the premises and should be return to the hirers’ cleaning materials area in the side room.
b) General waste may be disposed of in the bins provided in the car park but GLASS CANNOT be disposed of there and all bottles and glass must be taken away by the Hirer
c) Smokers are requested to use the ash boxes outside at the main entrance to dispose of cigarette ends
d) PLEASE NOTE – The Hirer undertakes to be responsible for the effective security of the premises and contents for the duration of the hire period, and for ensuring that the building is left securely locked after use by the Hirer. After checking the security of all doors and windows, the Hirer should leave by the main entrance doors which should be securely locked behind them. Unless otherwise agreed the Hirer will return the keys to the premises to the Bookings Manager immediately after hire.
e) Should any part of the premises or equipment be left in an unsatisfactory condition following inspection by a member of the Village Hall Management Committee ( “the Committee”) then an extra charge may be applied to cover the cost of rectifying such condition and/or the deposit retained to cover the cost.
4. Hours and permitted uses
The Hire period shall include any period of time during which the Main Hall or Committee Room or Kitchen is being used by the Hirer, including for preparation purposes.
Permitted uses are those authorised by the overriding Trust Deed to include use by the public for specified sporting activities, plays, films, music, singing, dancing, education, certain entertainments and refreshments.
The following activities are not allowed – collections, games of chance, sweepstakes and lotteries and betting unless conducted as a fundraising activity and with the agreement of the Committee
The number of persons permitted at the premises at any one time shall not exceed 160, or 120 for seated dining
All vehicles parked in the Village Hall car park are there at the Hirer’s risk and the Hirer shall ensure that they do not obstruct the Fire Exits
All amplified music shall be played in such a manner and at a level that it does not cause a nuisance to those living in close proximity, All doors and windows should remain closed during periods of amplified entertainment apart from when being used for access and egress ( but see Special Conditions relating to Covid – 19 arrangements )
The premises shall be vacated as quickly as possible at the conclusion of the event and patrons shall leave in a quiet and orderly manner
5. Sale and consumption of alcohol
Should an event involve the sale of alcohol on the premises, the Hirer must obtain a “ Temporary Events Notice “ ( TEN ) from Buckinghamshire Council and will be responsible to serve the appropriate notice in good time before the event. The TEN should be clearly displayed within the premises for the duration of the event. Be aware that Little Missenden Village Hall, in common with all unlicenced premises is entitled to a maximum of 12 TENs in each calendar year so the Hirer must advise the Committee of the grant of such licence
The Hirer must ensure that :-
a) no alcoholic beverage is sold or made available to any person who is, or who appears to be, under 18. Proof of age should be requested if there is any doubt.
b) care is taken to avoid excessive consumption of alcohol by any attendees. Drunk and disorderly behaviour shall not be permitted on or in the immediate vicinity of the premises
c) persons under the age of 16 are not admitted to and remain on the premises when alcohol is being served unless accompanied by an adult
d) no alcohol in open vessels (glasses, bottles, cans etc ) shall be allowed to be taken outside the premises at any time (with the exception of wedding receptions using the garden for a marquee)
e) the person holding the TEN shall always be present to supervise the operation of the bar and sale of alcohol on the premises
6. Damage claims and insurance cover
Damage to the fabric or contents of the Village Hall shall be reported to the Booking Secretary as soon as practical after the hiring. The Hirer shall repay to the Committee the cost to remedy all damage ( including accidental damage ) to the premises or to the fixtures, fittings and contents or for loss of any contents arising from the hiring
The Hirer shall be responsible for all costs, expenses, settlements and awards of damages and otherwise in respect of death or injury to any person arising out of or in connection with the use by the Hirer of the Hall
The Hirer shall be responsible for all claims including costs, expenses, awards of damages and otherwise in respect of damage to or loss, theft or removal of any property brought to or left in the Hall and the Committee cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to personal clothing or effects belonging to any person hiring or using the premises
The Hirer should ensure that they hold appropriate insurance cover for the events they organise, particularly where they are responsible for supervising children on Bouncy Castles and similar equipment.
The Committee are insured against claims arising out of their own negligence
As determined by the nature of the event and at the discretion of the Committee, the Hirer agrees to pay a deposit to cover any damage to the Hall or its contents and the Committee undertakes to return the deposit in full within 7 days from the date of the event if no costs are incurred
7. Stored equipment
The Committee accepts no responsibility for any stored equipment or other property brought onto or left at the premises, and all liability for loss or damage is hereby excluded. Save where otherwise agreed by the Committee all equipment and other property must be removed at the end of each hiring or fees may be charged for storage at the Committee’s discretion.
In the event that any such equipment or property remains on the premises without authority beyond the period of hiring the Committee reserves the right to dispose of the same on such terms and conditions as it reasonably thinks fit and charge the Hirer the costs of storage and sale or otherwise disposing of the same and deduct from any proceeds of sale any such costs
8. Cancellation
If the Hirer wishes to cancel the booking before the date of the event and the Committee is unable to conclude a replacement booking the question of payment or repayment of the hiring fee shall be at the discretion of the Committee.
The Committee reserves the right to cancel the hiring by written notice to the Hirer in the event of :-
a) the premises being required as a Polling Station for a Parliamentary or Local Government election or by-election
b) the Committee reasonably considering that such hiring will lead to a breach of licencing conditions or other legal or statutory requirements or that unlawful or unsuitable activities will take place at the premises as a result of the hiring
In any such event the Hirer will be entitled to a refund of any deposit already paid but the Committee shall not be liable to the Hirer for any resulting direct or indirect loss or damages whatsoever
9. No rights
The Hiring Agreement constitutes permission only to use the premises for the purposes intended and confers no tenancy or other right of occupation on the Hirer.
The Hirer shall not sub-hire the premises.
The Village Hall Management Committee reserves the right to turn down any application from a potential hirer if it feels that such an application may compromise these Terms and Conditions.
Any problems or concerns should be reported to the Bookings Manager – lit[email protected]
Date reviewed September 2022