STANDARD CONDITIONS OF HIRE

1 DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION

(a) In these conditions:-

‘the Booking Form’ means the Booking Form to which these conditions are attached. The terms defined in these conditions have the same respective meanings in the Booking Form.

‘the Council’ means the Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council of the Town Hall, Bolton BL1 1RU.

‘the Authorised Officer’ means the Albert Halls Manager or their nominees.

‘the Deposit’ means £250.00 or such other sum as agreed between the Authorised Officer and the hirer.

‘the Purpose of the Hire’ means the purpose for which the room is hired.

‘the Hire Charge’ means the charge for the hire of the room, facilities and services in accordance with the current rates at the time of final payment.

‘Date and Period of Hire’ means the period for which the room is hired.

‘the Hirer’ means the person who signed the Booking Forms, the organisation, association, firm, club, society or other group on whose behalf the Booking Form is signed.

‘the Hiring’ means the hiring of the room, facilities and services.

‘the Premises’ means the Albert Halls.

‘the Room’ means the room or rooms hired.

‘Final Payment’ means the Hire Charge payable 7 working days before the Date and Period of Hire.

2 APPLICATIONS

All applications for the use of the room must be made in writing on the Booking Form which shall be read and construed with these Standard Conditions of Hire and form part of the Contract between the Council and the Hirer. No application will be accepted from persons under 18 years of age. All bookings must be confirmed and full deposit paid within 10 working days of the provisional booking being made. Failure to comply with procedure may result in the booking being cancelled. For all events requiring catering, final numbers attending must be supplied to the Authorised Officer at least 7 days prior to the event. Final payment for ALL events is due 7 days prior to the event.

3 REFUSAL OF BOOKING

The Council, through the Authorised Officer, reserves the right to refuse any application for the hire of a room without being required to give any reason for such refusal.

4 ACCESS TO THE ROOM

(a) The Hirer shall remove all property and equipment belonging to him and any refuse which may have accumulated on the premises and leave the room in a clean and orderly state. In the event of the Hirer’s default, the Council shall be entitled to remove and dispose of the same and the cost thereof shall be a debt due from the Hirer to the Council and shall be recoverable as such from the Hirer

5 USER

(a) No part of the rooms is to be used for any other purpose other than the Purpose of the Hire.

(b) No part of the room is to be used for any unlawful purpose or in any unlawful way.

6 SUB LETTING

The Hirer shall not assign the right to use the room or sub-let it in any way.

7 GENERAL CONDITIONS

(a) No articles of any inflammable or explosive character or producing an offensive smell shall be taken into any room without the written consent of the Authorised Officer

(b) Details must be given to the Authorised Officer at the time of booking of any item of equipment including pulsating lights (eg Stroboscopes), laser beams, firearms or any potentially dangerous apparatus, commercial or otherwise, which the Hirer wishes to install, display or utilise in the room during the hire period and no such equipment shall be installed without the prior written consent of the Authorised Officer.

(c) All proposals for stage productions, exhibitions or other events likely, in the opinion of the Authorised Officer, to give rise to a risk of fire shall be submitted to the Chief Fire Officer at least twenty-eight days prior to the hire period and his requirements and regulations strictly complied with.

(d) All decorations or hangings introduced into any room shall be of non-inflammable materials. No decorations and fittings shall be introduced without the written consent of the Authorised Officer, who shall be entitled to remove any unauthorised materials, decorations or fitting.

(e) Any equipment or other article used by or on behalf of the Hirer shall be maintained by him in a thoroughly clean, serviceable condition to the satisfaction of the Authorised Officer.

(f) The Hirer shall not interfere with or alter any lighting, heating equipment, seating, gangways, fixtures, fittings, furnishings and other arrangements without the written consent of the Authorised Officer.

(g) No obstructions of the gangways, corridors or fire exits to the building shall be caused by the Hirer.

(h) The Hirer is responsible for maintaining acceptable standards of behaviour and noise levels by his patrons both inside the room and the premises. The Hirer is advised that indiscriminate fly-posting of advertising material may lead to suspension of the hiring and ines under Regulations made pursuant to the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 as amended.

(j) The Hirer shall not, unless expressly authorised:

(i) bring any food or drink or any dangerous or obnoxious substance onto the premises

(ii) bring or permit to remain on the premises any animals except registered assistance dogs

(iii) sell or supply to any person any goods of any description whatsoever

(iv) the Hirer shall ensure that no gaming or any other unlawful act or performance is permitted to take place

8 VARIATION TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS

A Hirer may request a variation to these conditions in exceptional circumstances in writing no later than 28 days prior to the period of hire to the Authorised Officer and any decision on the request shall be in writing.

9 CINEMATOGRAPH EXHIBITIONS

No Cinematograph exhibition shall be given in the premises without the written consent of the Authorised Officer and any such exhibition, if approved, will be subject to the provisions of the Cinematograph Acts 1909 and 1952. The Hirer shall indemnify the Council against all actions, claims, demands, proceedings, damnages, charges, costs and expenses arising out of failure to do so.

10 ADMISSION / BAR

(a) The maximum number of persons to be admitted to a room depending on layout is:-

  1. Albert Hall 676
  2. Ante Room North 30
  3. Dido Suite 120
  4. Elizabethan Lounge 40
  5. Festival Hall 375
  6. Lancaster Suite 180
  7. Loyals Lounge 30
  8. Reception Room 60
  9. Bolton Artillery Suite 27

The Hirer shall ensure that the number of persons attending the room does not exceed the maximum for that room.

(b) No admission shall be allowed to any room not hired by the Hirer.

(c) No persons shall be admitted to any event at which intoxicating liquor may be consumed unless he has been personally invited onto the premises by the Hirer or holds a ticket issued by the Hirer prior to the event.

(d) The decision of the Council’s licensee on all matters relating to the licensing or sale of intoxicating liquor shall be final.

(e) The Council reserve the right to evict from the premises any person refusing to comply with these conditions or misconducting himself or herself in any way causing a danger, nuisance or annoyance to other users of the premises.

11 PERFORMING RIGHTS PHONOGRAPHIC COPRIGHT AND TELEVISION

(a) The Council have a licence with the Performing Rights Society Limited to cover the performance of all musical works in their repertoire. The Hirer shall comply with the conditions of the licence, a copy of which the Hirer may inspect during office hours in the Albert Halls Office, Town Hall, Bolton, and in particular shall permit a duly authorised agent of the Performing Rights Society to have free right to enter the room during all times of public performance of music and shall, within 24 hours of the end of the hiring, supply to the Authorised Officer a list of all music provided, whether by live musicians or other means giving the names of authors, composers, arrangers and publishers for transmission to the society.

(b) The Hirer shall comply with the provisions of the Copyright and Patents Act 1988 in relation to the performance or the use if copyright works or material and shall indemnify the Council against all actions, claims, demands, proceedings, damages, charges, costs and expenses arising out of a failure to do so.

(c) No television performances may be held in the premises without the written consent of the Authorised Officer, who must be satisfied that appropriate approvals have been received before that consent is given.

12 PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT LICENCE

The Hirer must comply with all conditions and stipulations of the Council’s public entertainment licence for the room (so far as the same may be relevant to the function) and a copy of these will be supplied to the Hirer on request.

13 PHOTOGRAPHY

No photographer or cinematograph film may be taken in the premises for commercial purposes or press or public reproduction without the written consent of the Authorised Officer.

14 LOSS

The Council shall not be responsible for any loss due to any breakdown of machinery, failure of supply of electricity, leakage of water, fire, government restriction, act of God, or other circumstances which may cause the hiring to be interrupted or cancelled.

15 DAMAGE TO THE COUNCIL’S PROPERTY

(a) The Hirer shall take good care and shall not cause or permit any damage to be caused to the room or any part thereof, or to any fittings, equipment or other property therein or to any other part of the premises.

(b) Any damages to the premises, fittings, equipment, or any other property of the Council shall be made good by the Council and the cost thereof shall be a debt due from the Hirer to the Council and shall be recoverable as such from the Hirer.

(c) The Authorised Officer shall be the sole judge of the extent of the damage of the Council’s decision on the cost of making good such damage will be final.

(d) Nothing shall be brought into the premises which is likely, in the Authorised Officer’s opinion, to cause damage to the premises or cause nuisance or annoyance to other users of the premises.

(e) No nails, tacks or anything whatsoever shall be driven into the fabric or the floor of the premises.

(f) Advertising matter of any sort shall not be displayed inside or on the outside of the premises without the written consent of the Authorised Officer and then only on approved equipment with approved methods of fixing.

16 CONTROL AND INSPECTION

(a) The Hirer shall forthwith comply with all instructions given by the Authorised Officer and shall allow him full and unrestricted access to the premises and the room at all times.

(b) The Hirer shall allow entry by police, fire or licensing officers and shall co-operate with them as needs be.

17 DAMAGE TO PERSONS AND PROPERTY

(a) The Council accepts no liability for loss, damage or injury to persons or property, however caused.

(b) The Hirer shall be responsible at all times for insuring all equipment and material brought onto the premises by himself.

(c) The Hirer hereby agrees to indemnify the Council against any loss, claims, actions, proceedings, damages, expenses, costs and demands made by any person(s) or in respect of accident to loss of, or damage sustained by any person or property on the premises during the period of hire.

18 PUBLICITY

All publicity material advertising the use of the room shall bear the name of the Hirer and the Albert Halls logo.

19 LAYOUT

(a) If the room is hired for the purpose of any exhibition, bazaar or similar event, the Hirer must, at least twenty-eight days prior to the hire period, submit to the Authorised Officer the proposed arrangements of stalls, stands, decorations, gangways and any other matters relating generally thereto, together with details of the intended construction of such stalls or stands. The Hirer shall not bring any equipment or effects onto the premises without the written consent of the Authorised Officer.

(b) The Hirer shall be responsible for such equipment and effects and the consent of the Authorised Officer to such equipment and effects shall in no way imply or impose any acceptance of liability by the Council.

20 ATTENDANTS

(a) When an event is one to which the general public are to be admitted, the Hirer shall maintain the various exits in good order and generally ensure the proper running of the event including the control of movement of persons whilst entering and leaving the premises.

(b) Cloakrooms if requested will be in the care and custody of Council staff and all monies from this service shall be retained by the Council. The Council shall not be responsible for any loss, theft, damage or mistake that may occur by the provision of this service.

21 CANCELLATION / TERMINATION

(a) If the Hirer cancels or postpones the hiring:-

(i) fourteen days or less before the hire period the Hirer shall be liable for the full hire charge and,

(ii) between fifteen days to six calendar months before the hire period shall forfeit the deposit.

(b) The Council reserves the right to cancel the hiring at any time if the room is required for any civic, official or public purpose. The Council’s liability shall be limited to the payment of any sums received by the Council from the Hirer in respect of such hiring.

(c) If any room is used by the Hirer for a purpose different from that for which it was hired, or, if in the opinion of the Authorised Officer, there may be a threat of a breach of the peace, the Authorised Officer may at any time terminate the hiring. The Council shall not be liable to pay any compensation to any person in respect thereof.

22 BREACH OF CONDITION

In the event of any breach of any of the conditions the Council reserves the right immediately to cancel the hiring and to refuse any further bookings by the Hirer and if the hire period has not expired, the Hirer shall be liable to pay the Council the full amount of the hire charge.