The District Council Cabinet meets next Wednesday night at the Civic Suite in Rayleigh. The usual cabinet rules apply – only councillors who are cabinet members can speak. One of the items is about using Rayleigh Windmill for weddings.
Back in the summer we wrote:
The District Council is going to get a license to hold civil marriage ceremonies at the Rayleigh Windmill.
There isn?t much space inside- only room for 2 officials plus 16 other persons. But if you want to have a small-scale wedding in nice surroundings, this could be a good choice. There?s a new garden next door for your wedding photos, car parking on the doorstep and the possibility of having a small-scale reception at the Mill Arts and Events Centre.
If you want to get married , do it in a civil ceremony with a few friends, and haven?t got the money for an expensive wedding, this could be an ?affordable wedding?
The council officers have suggested charging something between ?350-?450.However at the last cabinet meeting , Cllr Peter Webster suggested charging as high a figure as possible in order to maximise the income. He mentioned something between ?500- ?700. Remember, this is the cost for the ceremony itself for a maximum of 16 people, it doesn?t include any kind of reception.
The council officers are going to find out the costs of similar venues elsewhere and report back.
Well , the officers are reporting back now, and are suggesting the following charges, which seem very reasonable:
From the information gathered, and in particular the County Council advice, the suggested hire charges are ?250 if the event is to take place Monday ? Friday and ?350 if it is to take place on a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday.
This price would only include the hire of the room and provision of chairs. All decoration of the room i.e. flowers etc. would be the responsibility of the customer. The hire charge includes the exclusive use of the windmill from 9.30am on the day prior to the event and for up to two hours after the event. If it is necessary to open the windmill on a subsequent day for the removal of decorations, an additional charge of ?10 per hour (with a minimum charge of 3 hours) will be incurred.