Milton Keynes Quakers

Lettings policy

Introduction

The Quaker Centre is the Meeting House of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Milton Keynes. Its primary purpose is as a place of worship and fellowship.

Local organisations, groups or individuals are welcome to apply for occasional or regular use of the building, provided they are willing to work according to the policy set out below, and subject to Conditions of Use spelled out in a separate document.

Applications

Applications are made to the Warden (see Para.16), via telephone, post or email. The Society reserves the right to refuse the use of its premises by any organisation or person whose aims or objectives or stated purposes of the meeting or gathering for which the premises are to be used, are contrary to the beliefs held by the Society, or for any other reason which need not necessarily be specified. Acceptance of a booking from an organisation or individual does not imply that the Society concurs with their views or aims.

Requests will not be accepted for Sunday bookings, or for any bookings likely to end after 10.30pm. Bookings will not be accepted either for parties or celebrations, except in cases of applications from Quaker Friends or families of children meeting regularly at the Incy Wincy pre-school. The month of August is normally kept free of any bookings.

Charges

Current charges are listed at the end of this document. They are subject to change at six weeks’ notice and will rise yearly roughly in line with inflation. There is a standard rate of charges applicable to the majority of users, and a higher rate (no higher than 25% above the standard) applicable to commercial organisations, statutory bodies, colleges, and national charities. Preferential rates, with conditions, can only be negotiated by local groups and will not be granted for those paying the higher charges. There are no booking fees, but the price agreed will be charged in full unless notice of cancellation of booking is given with at least one week’s notice (see para.3 below).

Single date bookings can be paid for before, or on the day of the booking. In most cases, however, an invoice will be sent to the organiser(s) after the event has taken place. Regular users may be billed monthly or quarterly in arrears. Payment is expected within two weeks of receipt of the invoice.

Only the rooms specified at the time of booking may be used. Use of any other rooms not previously booked will be subject to an additional charge. An additional charge may also be levied If the premises are left in a dirty, untidy or otherwise unsatisfactory state.

Cancellations

While every effort will be made to honour accepted bookings, the Society reserves the right to cancel any booking at any time, advance notice of which will be given - except in the extraordinary case of the venue being required by MK Council as an Emergency Rest Centre. In the event of an accepted booking being cancelled by the Society, assistance may be given towards finding an alternative venue. The Society cannot accept responsibility for consequential or other loss incurred by the prospective client, other organisations or individuals as a result of the failure to fulfil bookings for whatever reason.

For their part, hiring organisations or individuals are requested to give as much notice as possible (preferably six weeks) of cancellation of any confirmed booking. Late cancellations (i.e. one week or less), will result in the full charge being made.

Public Liability Insurance

The Society’s Public Liability Insurance covers liability for damage caused by risks resulting from our fault alone. It does not cover activities carried out by hirers. We reserve the right to refuse regular bookings for groups not adequately insured.

Nominated person / fire procedures

Any organisation using the Centre shall nominate one or more responsible persons who must be thoroughly familiar with the Conditions of Use and with the procedure to be followed in the event of a fire or other emergency. No meeting can take place on the premises unless the nominated person is present.

The nominated person shall ensure that the Conditions of Use are observed, that s/he is aware of the location of fire extinguishers and fire/emergency exit doors, and that any necessary fire drill is followed. In the event of a fire, the nominated person should supervise evacuation of the building immediately and seek assistance. When the emergency allows, this can be sought using the public telephone in the hallway.

Children

Children must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times while on the premises

No Smoking

The Centre complies with the 2007 Smokefree Law and no smoking is allowed in any part of its premises. Users of the building are asked to respect this rule at all times.

Use of alcohol

The consumption of alcohol in the Centre is strongly discouraged, in keeping with Quaker social concerns. Alcohol may only be brought into the premises under special and agreed circumstances. Application for special permission should be made in writing to The Clerk explaining the need.

Environmental Health / Health and Safety

The Centre is registered with the local Environmental Health authority. All users, particularly those who provide or supervise the distribution of food, are recommended to familiarise themselves with current environmental health and health & safety regulations.

There is an Accident Book (currently kept in the kitchen) where all accidents, however minor, must be recorded. Each Accident Report Form should be handed over to the Warden who will keep it securely, thus complying with the legal requirements for Data Protection.

Centre facilities and Use of the kitchen

Seating in the rooms for hire comprises stackable chairs in the Main and Small Meeting Rooms, and lounge chairs in the Library and Committee Room. Folding tables are available. Hirers are expected to set out the room as desired, and to leave it as near as possible to the way in which it was originally found.

The kitchen has an electric cooker, fridge, automatic water boiler, teapots, cutlery and crockery. No charge is made for the use of the kitchen. Users who wish to provide meals or refreshments must arrange their own supplies as no catering service can be provided. Information about outside caterers is available on request.

Equipment (particularly electrical equipment)

The Centre possesses foldable tables (see para.9 above), a flipchart stand and an overhead projector which can be borrowed without charge.

No electrical or cooking apparatus may be brought into the Centre without the prior permission of the Warden. This also applies to any other equipment which, if faulty or misused, could cause injury to persons or damage to the premises.

Storage and personal property

The Society is unable to provide storage room and it cannot accept responsibility for any property left in the Centre, including vehicles and their contents in the car park.

Parking

The car park on Oakley Gardens is owned by the Quaker Centre and has room for 16 cars. There are also bicycle racks. Particularly for large gatherings, organisers are requested to ensure that participants share transport whenever possible in order to reduce the pressure on car parking spaces.

Access

The Society will grant reasonable early access to the rooms booked (normally half an hour), subject to the needs of any previous user, and will allow time afterwards to clear up, dismantle equipment, etc. Users, however, are expected to vacate the room(s) as near as possible to the end of the time period booked.

!!Damage Damage to the premises, its furniture, fixtures, fittings or equipment must be reported to the Warden. The user’s nominated person is expected to report such damage or loss whether or not it was caused by a member of the user organisation. In particular, gas or water leaks or any other potentially dangerous defects must be reported immediately.

There may be a charge added to the hire charge in cases where the damage was avoidable and caused by the user(s).

Use of Centre’s address

The Centre should not be used as a postal address. Organisations may advertise meetings at the Centre to the public but such advertisements must not be worded so as to imply any connection with the Society other than the use of its premises. The name of the building and its location should be given as stated on the front sheet of this document.

Queries

The Finance and Property Committee of the Religious Society of Friends Milton Keynes PM delegates its work with and for lettings to the Warden. Queries on bookings, room facilities or charges, or any general questions about the Quaker Centre can be directed to the resident Warden, Ines Russell, by email (quakercentre@miltonkeynesquakers.org.uk), or telephone (on 01908 604673). Complaints should be made in writing to the Convenor of the Finance and Property Committee.

End notes

Parts of the Centre are also rented on a permanent, daily, basis by a children’s pre-school and by the Family Group Conference Service, an agency of MK Council’s children’s services. Occasional users are asked to give consideration to the needs and use of the building and its facilities by these two groups. Quakers are happy to welcome all who wish to use the building for various activities and ask that the premises be treated with care and respect.

(IR 3/06/08)

ROOM CHARGES (per session of 3 hours or less)

Rooms and Capacity Standard rate *

Commercial/Statutory bodies**

Main Meeting Room For max 55-60 people £38.00 £41.00

Small Meeting Room Max 25 people £21.50 £22.50

Library Max 12 £21.50 £22.50

Committee Room Max 15 £21.50 £22.50

• Standard rates apply to the majority of users. Preferential rates may be applied when requested for block bookings from charitable or voluntary bodies and private individuals arranging weekly meetings. Bookings would need to be of at least 12 consecutive weeks for a rebate of 10% to be available.

• These higher rates apply to statutory bodies such as Milton Keynes or other local Councils, the NHS or Primary Care Trusts, Milton Keynes or other such Colleges, and to commercial organisations and national charities. Normally, there will be no preferential rates for block bookings from such bodies.

N. B. Bookings are charged double when the event takes longer than 4½ hours. Meetings of only 4 hours are charged the price of one session, plus one hour at £13.50 standard rate or £14.50 higher rate for the Main Meeting Room, and £7.50 (standard) or £8 (higher) for all other rooms.

Special rates can be arranged for the occasional use of the entire building.

April 2008

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