Booking Terms & Conditions

Terms of Use

The ‘Conditions of Hire’ detailed here apply to all Hirers.  The term ‘Hirer’ shall be deemed to apply to an individual Hirer or, in the case of an Organisation, the Authorised Representative of that Organisation.   ​

The Hirer of the Hall is subject to completion of a Hiring Agreement in every case, and these conditions form part of the Hiring Agreement and are to be read in conjunction with it.   

The terms ‘Hall’ and ‘Premises’ are deemed to include the Village Hall Building and the Village Hall Car Park. 

The Hirer is responsible for compliance with these ‘Conditions of Hire’ at all times during the period of hire by all persons occupying the premises.   

The Hirer is legally responsible for breaches of the Hiring Agreement or ‘Conditions of Hire’ and is strongly advised to insure against any claim by the Hall Committee arising out of the hire. 

1. Use of the Premises:  The Hirer shall only use the Hall premises prescribed in the Hiring Agreement and only for the purposes prescribed therein.  The Hirer shall not sub-hire.  The Hirer shall not permit the premises to be used for any unlawful purposes.  The Hirer is to comply with all legal licensing, security, safety and insurance requirements.  The Hirer is to ensure no ‘fly posting’ or other form of unauthorised advertising is carried out for the hiring event at the Hall. 

2. Supervision:  The Hirer is responsible for the Hall’s fabric and contents, and the conduct, care and safety of all persons in the Hall.  Written confirmation of CRB checks will be required for regular hirers with groups under the age of 18.  Supervision requirements are a minimum of  

• 0 – 2 years – one adult to three children, 
• 2 – 3 years – one adult to four children, 
• 4 – 8 years – one adult to six children,
• 9 – 12 years – one adult to eight children, 
• 13 – 18 years – one adult to ten children.

3. Safety – Health – Hygiene:  The Hirer is to brief staff, members and guests (as applicable), on the safety procedures to be observed whilst in the Hall.  In particular, detailed Fire Safety Precautions are to be briefed, including the method of raising the Fire Alarm, the location and use of fire fighting equipment, the position and operation of emergency fire exits(including stage exits if applicable), and the Emergency Assembly Point outside the Hall.  

• The Hirer is to ensure that all Fire Exits are kept unlocked, with access routes clear of obstructions, at all times.  Designated Fire Doors are to be kept closed at all times.
• The Hirer is to ensure that personal electrical equipment used on the premises is in good working order, operated in the prescribed manner, and any safety devices included thereon are utilised.
• Highly Inflammable substances are not to be brought onto the premises, the use of portable Liquefied Propane Gas appliances, or any naked light, is prohibited.  
• When Kitchen use is included in the Hiring Agreement the Hirer is to comply with all relevant Health and Hygiene regulations applicable to the preparation and serving of food. 

4. Licenses:

• The main and small halls combined are licensed to hold a maximum of 200 people, and the Small Hall on its own a maximum of 30.  
• The Hall is licensed for the Consumption of Alcohol.  The Hirer is to ensure that only alcoholic drinks purchased or supplied by the bar are consumed on the premises.  No private or personal alcoholic drinks may be brought into the Hall.  The Hirer is to comply with the legal requirements restricting access to the Bar Area by minors.  Alcohol shall not be served to any person suspected of being drunk nor to any person suspected of being under the age of 18.
• Care shall be taken to avoid excessive consumption of alcohol. Drunk and disorderly behaviour shall not be permitted either on the premises or in its immediate vicinity. Any person suspected of being drunk, under the influence of drugs or who is behaving in a violent or disorderly way shall be asked to leave the premises. No illegal drugs may be brought onto the premises.
• The Hall is not licensed under the Gaming, Betting and Lotteries Act.
• A Performing Rights Licence is held for the Hall which permits the use of copyrighted music. If other licences are required in respect of any activity the hirer should ensure that they obtain the relevant licence.
• This Agreement confers our written permission for the performance of live music and the playing of recorded music under the Deregulation Act 2015.
• If recommendations have been made either by the film classification body and/or the relevant licensing authority, the admission of children is subject to such restrictions (if any) as are necessary to comply .
• You must ensure that you have the appropriate copyright licences for film. This Agreement confers the required permission on you. (The Deregulation Act 2015 requires you to have our written permission to show a film).

5. Accidents and Damages:  The Hirer is to report any accident involving injury to the person and any damage to the Hall fabric or its contents or to any equipment brought onto the premises.  Accidents are to be logged in the Accident Log Book in the First Aid Box located in the kitchen.  A verbal report on all accidents and damages is to be made to the Booking Secretary as soon as possible, followed by a written report within 48 hours of the occurrence.  The Hirer shall indemnify the Hall Committee for the costs arising out of any accident on, or damage to, the premises during the period of hire, and is responsible for insuring against any claims arising, including those from third parties. 

6. Tidiness and Cleanliness: It is a strict condition of hire that, at the end of the period of hire, the Hirer shall leave the premises in a clean and tidy state.

• All chairs and folding tables are to be wiped clean and dry and returned to their storage. room. 
• Floors are to be dried and swept clean.
• All items of equipment brought onto the premises, including stage props, are to be removed.
• The kitchen is to be left clean and tidy and crockery and utensils cleaned, dried and stored away.
• All rubbish is to be removed from the site.

(The mix of activities the village hall is host to makes it extremely difficult for us to predict how much waste we may have to deal with if we do not insist on hirers taking waste away with them. Commercial waste disposal is expensive and we only schedule collection fortnightly.)

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the Hirer’s Special Deposit being forfeited or additional charges for any cleaning required.

ALL FOOD WASTE AND LEFTOVER FOOD MUST BE TAKEN AWAY ON COMPLETION OF HIRE

7. Access and Egress:  The Booking Secretary will advise the Hirer on the access of the Hall’s keys before the event and their return at the end of the period of hire.  Before securing the hall at the end of the period of hire, the Hirer is to ensure all exit doors (including emergency exits) are secured, all electrical appliances are turned off (in particular kitchen appliances) and all lights are extinguished. 

8. Car Parking:  Cars are to be parked in the prescribed slots.  All parking is at the car owner’s risk.  The Hirer is to ensure that the entry and exit lanes to the car park are free at all times.  The Banwell Surgery and Pharmacy share the parking and this is to be respected. 

9. Lost Property: The Hall Committee accepts no responsibility for any property lost or stolen from the premises.  The Booking Secretary may be contacted post-hire to ascertain whether any lost property has been found. 

10. Consideration towards Others: The Hall is in a residential area with private dwellings nearby.  Excessive noise, arising from the event in the Hall, or extraneous noise in the car park and surrounding area, cause adverse comments and bad relations with local residents.  Please ensure such disturbances are minimised, particularly at the end of a late evening hiring period when participants disperse. 

11. Payment of Fees:  A casual hirer is to pay in full all hiring fees due, including the bar fee (if applicable) and the Special Deposit, no later than one calendar month prior to the commencement of the hiring period.  Regular hirers are expected to pay in advance, at the beginning of the month of the hire.

12. Cancellation:  A casual hirer may cancel the Hall booking up to one calendar month prior to the hire period set out in the Hiring Agreement without financial penalty.  After that date, the Hiring Fees (including the bar fee) are non-refundable, but the Special Deposit paid shall be refunded.  The Hall Committee may cancel the hiring, without penalty or consequential liability, in the event of the Hall becoming unfit for use for any reason, or if it is required for use as a Polling Station for a Parliamentary or Local Government election or bye-election or Community Emergency Shelter.  In such an event, any deposit, hiring fee, or special deposit paid by the Hirer shall be refunded. 

13. Hall Insurance: The Hall Committee is fully insured against third-party claims for negligence arising from a Hiring Contract.