What it costs
Halls usually charge by the hour, plus fees. Reading Borough Council, for example, lists Lyndhurst Road Community Centre at £9 an hour for private functions, plus a £42 opening and closing fee, a £100 refundable deposit and an insurance fee of 11% of the hire cost. Tameside's council-run Highfield Pavilion in Stalybridge is around £26 an hour, with a projector included.
What you'll usually get
- A main hall with tables and chairs
- A kitchen, sometimes basic
- Toilets, often with accessible facilities
- Set hire hours, so book enough time for setting up and clearing away
What you'll need to bring
- Food, plates, cups and napkins (check what the kitchen has)
- Decorations, and something to fix them with that won't mark the walls
- Music, if the hall allows it
- Bin bags, since you may need to take rubbish away
- Someone in charge of locking up
Alcohol at a hall party
If the hall doesn't have its own licence and you want to sell alcohol, you need to give the council a temporary event notice (TEN). The event must have fewer than 500 people at any time, including staff, and you must apply at least 10 clear working days before. Late TENs can be given up to 5 working days before.
The person giving the notice must be 18 or over, and councils such as Slough and Peterborough list the fee as £21.
Rules to check
- Minimum age of the person hiring (Reading's council halls ask for 21 or over)
- Finish time and noise limits
- Bouncy castles and entertainers, and the insurance they need
- Whether you need to clean up and take your rubbish away
- Smoking and vaping rules, often covering the grounds too
Sources: GOV.UK: temporary events noticeSlough Borough Council: TEN feesPeterborough City Council: temporary event noticeReading Borough Council: Lyndhurst RoadTameside Council: room hire prices
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