Hire Policy

Lawford Parish Community Hub Room Hire Policy
Background
1.  Lawford Parish Council (LPC) was gifted the Lawford Parish Community Hub (LPCH), Unit 1, The Avenue, CO11 2FR through an agreement with Rose Builders and moved into the building on Friday 2 May 2025.
Purpose
2.  The purpose of this hire policy is to provide an understanding of LPC’s intentions regarding two hireable spaces contained within the new Lawford Parish Community Hub.
3.  With this new building, the Council aims to encourage community cohesion and activity through:
a. providing two hireable community spaces where residents and others can meet and hold activities
b. encouraging local public and other services to hire the spaces so their activities can be delivered locally
c. setting charges for hire at an affordable rate
d. ensuring adequate health and safety measures are taken to keep hirers safe
e. providing a clear and transparent booking process
f. providing clear and transparent Terms and Conditions for hire

Hire Charges
4.  In its first year of operating the new building, the council will aim to keep the charges low and will therefore devise a sliding scale of charges which includes a ‘social value’ test whereby some groups will be able to hire the room free of charge depending on the benefit they provide to the local community through their activities or services.
5.  In addition, whether the hirer is a profit making or non-profit making will be taken into consideration. Profit making organisations will be charged for hire.
6. To avoid competition with local organisations, the council will not accept applications for hire from organisations that already hire either Ogilvie Hall or the Venture Centre.

Types of hire sought
7. As mentioned, this is a new building, and the council would like to maintain its cleanliness and condition and therefore will not accept applications for hire for parties or other hires that it deems could have a detrimental effect on the building’s cleanliness or condition.