An iconic Isle of Wight town hall will now be more expensive to hire for both community and commercial events.
Last week, East Cowes Town Council agreed to increase the community and commercial hourly hiring rates for York Avenue’s East Cowes Town Hall by £2.50 per hour respectively.
The community rate will rise from £12.50 per hour to £15 per hour while the commercial rate will go up from £20 per hour to £22.50 per hour.
Deputy mayor councillor Cameron Palin spearheaded the move which he said would make the space ‘far more viable’. He added the local authority was bringing in the revenue to reinvest it in the community.
Clerk Sue Chilton said the council was facing rising utility costs that were ‘eroding’ its income levels from the hall.
Following the decision to raise charges, a member of the public asked:
“How much of the community use is by charities?”
Deputy clerk Charlotte Jones responded:
“A very small percentage. Most of the charities use the East Side Curve (community hub) because it’s free to use. Hardly any charities use the town hall facilities.”
East Cowes Town Hall is a ‘busy place’ which is in use ‘every day’, the council’s website says.
The 19th century Italianate style building ‘hosts everything from lunches, birthday parties, weddings to bingo evenings and pantomimes’. It has seating capacity for 160 people, standing room for 20 and 57 balcony seats.
