Hiring Policy

CRUDWELL VILLAGE HALL & RECREATION GROUND Registered Charity no.294177

HIRING POLICY FOR Issue N^o HP13 May 2021

1. GENERAL
2. The Booking Secretary is the only person authorised by the Trustees of Crudwell Village Hall & Recreation Ground (CVHRG) to accept bookings for Crudwell village Hall and its field area.
3. In signing the booking form, the Hirer accepts responsibility for the booking and all terms and conditions associated with it. The Hirer must be aged 18 or over.
4. The Trustees of CVHRG reserve the right to refuse any application for the use of the village Hall.
5. The Trustees of CVHRG accept no liability for personal injury caused to any person anywhere on the premises or its surrounding area.
6. The Trustees of CVHRG retain the right to enter the premises during any function for the purpose of checking on security, safety and compliance with the conditions of hire but otherwise will seek prior permission from the Hirer.
7. The Hirer shall not sublet the hiring or use the premises for any unlawful purpose or in any unlawful way do anything or bring on to the premises anything that may endanger the property or public or may in any way invalidate any insurance policy held by the Trustees of CVHRG.
8. The play equipment located at the back of the Hall in the enclosed area between the Hall and Tetbury Lane, is owned and operated by Crudwell Pre-School and as such is not included in the hire of the Hall. If use of this equipment is desired, it is the Hirer’s responsibility to obtain written permission from Crudwell Pre-School.
9. Dogs, apart from registered assistance dogs, are not allowed anywhere on the field, multisport facility or play areas. Dog fouling in the car park must be cleared up.
10. Dogs, apart from registered assistance dogs, are not allowed inside the Hall except with the prior written permission of the Trustees of CVHRG.

BOOKINGS – GENERAL POLICIES FOR ALL HIRERS

1. Booking Agreement: All Hirers of the Hall will be issued with and must sign a booking agreement and return it to the Bookings Secretary before the commencement of their hire period.
2. Access: Access to the Hall will be provided between the times stipulated on the Booking Agreement, whether by Regular or Ad Hoc users. Anyone wishing to access the Hall outside of their booking slot must make prior arrangements with the Booking Secretary.
3. Cleaning: All users are required to leave the Hall in an acceptable state for the next user and adhere to the Covid rules and those general cleaning rules contained within our Terms and Conditions.
4. Sale and consumption of alcohol – It is not permitted to sell alcohol on the premises without the benefit of a Temporary Events Notice (TEN). If alcohol is to be sold at an event, the Hirer must so inform the Bookings Secretary at the time of booking. It is the Hirer’s responsibility to arrange the necessary TEN and provide a copy to the Bookings Secretary in advance of the event. The Bookings Secretary can provide guidance on this procedure if necessary.
5. Electrical equipment: It is the Hirer’s responsibility to ensure that any electrical equipment brought by them or those attending their function for use in the Hall is safe and if appropriate has been (PAT) tested in accordance with current legislation. Extension leads must be secured safely so that they are not a hazard.
6. Chairs and tables stored inside the Hall are for use inside the Hall only and not be taken outside. Items that may cause heat damage should not be placed on the tables without proper heat protection.
7. Barbecues: No disposable barbecues are allowed inside the village Hall or on its grounds. If any Hirer wishes to use a barbecue as part of an event, the Booking Secretary must be so advised in writing beforehand, and the barbecue(s) must be monitored at all times by a responsible adult. Any barbecue(s) must be located outside of the Hall and at a reasonable distance away from the Hall.
8. Raffle/lottery tickets: If official raffle/lottery tickets are to be sold, the Hirer is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate licences are held and accepts full responsibility for any actions that may arise from selling such tickets without a licence.
9. Rollaway screen: The rollaway screen located at the far end of the Hall is not the property of the Trustees of CVHRG. Hirers are allowed to use the screen subject to prior approval by the Booking Secretary or the Chairman of CVHRG. In any event, the Hirer is responsible for any damage to the screen howsoever caused and will be responsible for its immediate repair or replacement as deemed necessary by the owner of the screen.
10. Hire Rates: The current rates are available on our website (crudwellvillageHall.org.uk ) or on request from the Booking Secretary.

• Rates are reviewed annually in September with immediate effect for ad hoc enquiries, and for Regular users, with effect from 1^st January following.
• Local (reduced) rates for bookings by parishioners of Crudwell may be made at the discretion of the Trustees of CVHRG.
• The hire rate for any booking on New Year’s Eve will not be lower than the weekend function rate.

11. Cancellations: The Trustees of CVHRG reserve the right to cancel or refuse any booking by written notice to the Hirer in the event that:

• the Hall be required for use as a Polling Station or similar
• the Trustees of CVHRG consider that the hiring will lead to a breach of licensing conditions, other legal or statutory requirements, or if unlawful or unsuitable activities will take place at the Hall as a result of the booking
• the Hall is rendered unfit for use or the intended use by the /Hirer
• an emergency occurs which requires the use of the Hall as a shelter

In any such case, the Hirer shall be entitled to a refund of any deposit, hire payment or Bond already paid, but the Trustees of CVHRG shall not be liable to the Hirer for any resulting direct or indirect loss or damage whatsoever.

12. Maximum numbers: The maximum number of people permitted to use the main Hall shall not exceed:

• when used for standing audience: 240
• when used for functions with no tables or chairs: 200
• when used for functions with tables and chairs: 120
• when used for closed seated audiences: 200

1. C. REGULAR USERS (those that have agreed with CVHR&G to hire the Hall on a regular basis)
2. General: Regular users agree in advance to hire the Hall in a specific time slot on a regular weekly or monthly basis and are required to sign a booking agreement to this effect annually. These dates will be blocked booked i.e., ‘reserved’ in the online booking application on our web site. Regular users will pay in advance for the dates which they reserve. If they subsequently cannot use the Hall on any of the pre-booked dates, they may be given a credit at the discretion of the Trustees of CVHRG and subject to sufficient advance notice. A refundable deposit may be requested from new regular users.
3. Cleaning: All regular users are required to leave the Hall in an acceptable state for the next user and adhere to the Covid rules and those general cleaning rules contained within our Terms and Conditions.
4. Payment: All other payments will be made to CVHRG using the online booking and payment application on the crudwellvillagehall.org web site
5. Keys: Regular Hirers may be issued with a key to the Hall and a key to the store room at the discretion of the Trustees of CVHRG subject to the main Hirer of the group signing the appropriate key holders’ agreement;

• The main Hirer will be held responsible for the safety of their group’s key(s). That person is expected to retain a list of all keyholders in their group so that in the event of an emergency or insurance claim all keyholders can be contacted. If a key is lost, stolen or otherwise mislaid, that person will be held liable for the cost of its replacement as well as the potential replacement of all other keys and locks to the Hall.
• Should the main Hirer change, the Booking Secretary should be notified immediately so that a new key holders’ agreement may be issued.
• Any group found to misuse the privilege of having a key by going in before their booked time, staying beyond their booked time, sharing the key with another user or individual, or making use of the Hall at a time they have not booked, will be asked to return all their key(s).

5. Equipment: Groups may be permitted to leave their own equipment in the store room subject to space being available and at the discretion of the Trustees. Groups will be allocated a shelf and all their equipment must be placed on their shelf and not left on the floor, due to fire regulations and in consideration of other users. Groups using the store room must ensure all their equipment is kept tidy and organised. Failure to comply with these storage rules will result in the loss of said storage.
6. Insurance: Any equipment left in the store room must be covered by the Group’s own insurance and the Trustees accept no responsibility whatsoever for any loss or damage to any Group’s equipment or possessions. It is the Hirer’s responsibility to ensure that adequate insurance is in place where relevant. Each regular Hirer has an insurable interest in their own equipment and as such should insure it themselves.
7. AD HOC USERS (for one-off bookings subject to availability)
8. Agreement: Once a booking for a one-off hire is agreed with the Booking Secretary, a Booking Agreement is issued which must be signed by the Hirer and returned to the Booking Secretary together with a £50 deposit which holds the agreed date and time for that Hirer.
9. Equipment: Equipment requirements, such as tables and chairs, additional crockery etc must be indicated at the time of booking.
10. Payment: The full hire charge and Bond where applicable will be invoiced in advance of the date of the event for payment by return but in all cases at least 14 days prior to the event.

Cleaning and Damage:

• Experience has shown that, especially after a large evening function, it can be a sizable task to return the Hall to the condition in which it was found. For this reason, the Saturday Evening rate includes two hours access the following morning for the Hirer to properly clean the Hall, subject to availability. (If the Hall is not available the following morning, this would have to be done at the end of the function.)
• A refundable Bond, currently £200 to cover damage and cleanliness, will be taken for ad hoc bookings and invoiced with the full hire charge. There is a reduced Bond rate for some events, such as evenings meetings and/or children’s parties for those of primary school age (5-11) or younger, which may be used at the discretion of the Trustees of CVH&G.
• The deposit and Bond will be returned to the Hirer within 28 days after the hire date unless a report indicates that the Hall was not left in an acceptable condition in which case all or part of the deposit or Bond may be retained by the CVHRG. Costs to remedy will be based on an appropriate commercial rate.

Cancellations: 

• Cancellations must be sent by email to the Booking secretary bookings@cvhrg.org.uk with at least 14 days’ notice
• If a booking is cancelled prior to the event, the £50 deposit may be returned to the Hirer if a replacement booking has been made. If a replacement booking is not made, it will be refunded at the discretion of the Trustees of CVHRG.
• If the booking is cancelled within 14 days of the event, the Hirer shall remain liable for the hire charge unless a replacement booking is made or at the discretion of the Trustees of CVHRG.
• The Bond will be refunded in the event of a cancellation.

FIRE SAFETY REGULATIONS

• The person in charge of the function MUST check the location of all fire exits and exit points. At ALL times these must be free from obstruction.
• Fire exit doors are located between the main entrance and the committee room, and at the exit to the Pre-School play area.
• The Hirer must be aware of the location all fire extinguishers and the fire blanket. Fire extinguishers are located in the KITCHEN, LOBBY and SIDE of the Hall. A fire blanket is located in the kitchen. Please read the operating instructions.
• The person in charge should be aware of who is attending the function in case of an evacuation and ensure that members of the group are designated to supervise and check the building is vacated, without taking personal risk.
• IN CASE OF FIRE, call the Fire Brigade immediately and call the Chair of CVHRG Trustees.
• The Hirer should ensure that everyone leaves the building by the nearest available exit and go to the Fire Assembly Point in the car park. The Hirer should ensure that all people at the function are accounted for. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should anyone stop to collect personal belongings.
• If safe to do so, the fire may be attacked with the appliances available but AT NO TIME should anyone take personal risks.
• If it is safe to do so, all electrical appliances should be switched off and doors and windows closed.
• Under NO circumstances should anyone re-enter the building until instructed by a responsible person.

CONTACTS:

Village Hall pay phone (located in cloakroom off foyer): 01666 577764

Booking secretary: bookings@cvhrg.org.uk  or 07889 900 918

Chair: chair@cvhrg.org.uk.  or 07767 367 974

Treasurer: treasurer@cvhrg.org.uk