Terms & Conditions of Hire

STANDARD CONDITIONS OF HIRE
NOTE: If any Hirer is in any doubt as to the meaning of the following the Hall Secretary or Bookings Officer should be immediately consulted.

THE HIRER will, during the period of the hiring, be responsible for supervision of the premises, the fabric and contents, their care, safety from damage however slight; or change of any sort and the behaviour of all persons using the premises whatever their capacity, including proper supervision of car parking arrangements so as to avoid obstruction of the highway

THE HIRER shall not use the premises for any purpose other than that described in the hiring agreement and shall not sub-hire or use the premises or allow the premises to be used for any unlawful purpose or in any unlawful way nor do anything or bring onto the premises anything which may endanger the same or render invalid any insurance policies in respect thereof

THE HIRER shall be responsible for obtaining such licences as may be needed whether for the sale or supply of intoxicating liquor.

THE HIRER shall insure that nothing is done on or in relation to the premises in contravention of the law relating to gaming, betting and lotteries.

THE HIRER shall comply with all the conditions and regulations made in respect of the premises by the Fire Authority, Local Authority, local Magistrates’ Court or otherwise, particularly in connection with any event which includes public dancing or music or other similar public entertainment or stage plays.

THE HIRER shall if preparing, serving or selling food observe all relevant food health and hygiene legislation and regulations.

THE HIRER shall ensure that any electrical appliances brought by them to the premises and used there shall be safe and in good working order, and used in a safe manner. Where a residual circuit breaker is provided under terms of the PEL or CPL the hirer must make use of it in the interests of public safety.

THE HIRER shall indemnify the Village Hall Management Committee (the “Committee”) for the cost of repair of any damage done to any part of the property including the curtilage thereof or the contents of the buildings which may occur during the period of the hiring as a result of the hiring

THE HIRER shall be responsible for making arrangements to insure against any third party claims which may lie against him or her (or the organisation if acting as a representative) whilst using the Village Hall. (The Village Hall Management Committee is insured against any claims arising out of its own negligence).

THE HIRER must report all accidents involving injury to the public as soon as possible. An Accident Report Book is kept in the Village Hall Kitchen for this purpose. Certain types of accident or injury must be reported to the local authority.

THE HIRER shall ensure that no animals (including birds) except guide-dogs are brought into the hall, other than for a special event agreed by the Committee. No animals are to enter the kitchen at any time

THE HIRER shall ensure that if children are present the code of practice “Safe from Harm” produced by the Home Office is followed.

THE HIRER shall not carry out fly posting or any other form of unauthorised advertisements for any event taking place in the Hall, and shall indemnify the Committee accordingly against all action, claims and proceedings arising from any breach of this condition. Failure to observe this condition may lead to prosecution by the local authority.

CANCELLATION BY THE HIRER: The Management Committee reserves the right to charge a cancellation fee depending on the circumstances and the period of notice given. In the event of a cancellation the fees will be as follows:

  1. Cancellation within two month’s of the event date – 100% deposit fee will be kept.
  2. Cancellation up too two months prior of the event  – 50% of the deposit fee.

THE COMMITTEE reserves the right to cancel this hiring in the event of the hall being required for use as a Polling Station for a Parliamentary or Local Government election or bye-election in which case the Hirer shall be entitled to a refund of any deposit already paid.

IN THE EVENT of the hall or any part thereof being rendered unfit for the use for which it has been hired, the Committee shall not be liable to the hirer for any consequential loss or expense.

THE COMMITTEE reserves the right to refuse a booking.

THE HIRER shall be responsible for leaving the premises and surrounding area in a clean and tidy condition, properly locked and secured unless directed otherwise and any contents temporarily removed from their usual positions properly replaced, otherwise the Committee shall be at liberty to make an additional charge.

EXCLUDED ACTIVITIES – the following are NOT allowed:

Firework displays and bonfires.

THE HIRER shall ensure that the minimum of noise is made on arrival and departure

The Santon Downham Village Hall WiFi is available to all Hirers and Users free of charge during their Hire Period. The Committee is not responsible for any misuse or any consequences resulting from misuse and takes no responsibility for any unexpected issues surrounding its use or any variations in signal during the time of hire, however the Committee will endeavour to resolve any issues where possible.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF HIRE
COVID-19: The Hirer shall comply with all the latest government guidelines relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and shall operate within the guidelines laid down by the Committee.

SUPERVISION: The hirer, who must be over the age of 21 years, shall be in charge of, and remain upon, the premises during the whole time that they are open for the period of the hire.

CAPACITY: The number of people on the premises shall not exceed 122 persons.

PARKING: The Disabled Parking space at the front of the Hall is reserved solely for Blue Badge holders. The Car Park at the rear of the Hall is available for all other vehicles in relation to the booking only. All vehicles are parked at the owners’ risk.

MEANS OF ESCAPE: All means of exit from the premises must be kept free from obstruction and immediately available for free public exit. The emergency lighting supply illuminating all exit signs will come on in the event of power failure.

OUTBREAKS OF FIRE: The Fire Brigade shall be called to any outbreak of fire, however slight, and details thereof shall be given to the Santon Downham Village Hall Management Committee directly thereafter.

DANGEROUS PERFORMANCES: Performances involving danger to the public shall not be given.

EXPLOSIVES AND FLAMMABLE SUBSTANCES: Highly flammable substances shall not be brought into, or used in any part of the premises. No internal decorations of a combustible nature (e.g. polystyrene, cotton wool) shall be erected without the consent of the Management Committee. Candles are not allowed.

HEATING: No unauthorised heating appliances shall be used on the premises without the consent of the Management Committee. Portable liquefied propane gas (LPG) heating appliances shall not be used

DISPOSAL OF RUBBISH: The hirer is required to remove all rubbish produced at the conclusion of the event