Moray Council agrees to impose fees for hiring parks
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Fees will be introduced for hiring Moray Council parks and green spaces – but most charges will be waved for charities and not-for-profit groups.
Events that charge an entry fee and have more than 1000 people attending will incur a daily cost of £500, with an additional £100 administration fee plus a £5000 refundable deposit to be paid upfront.
Meanwhile, events with less than 200 people will have a £300 daily charge with an additional £50 for administration and a £500 deposit.
As most of the parks are held in trust or are on common good land the money raised will go to the relevant group.
Members of the economic development and infrastructure committee agreed earlier today to introduce the charging structure.
Speaking afterwards, council leader Graham Leadbitter (Elgin South, SNP) said: "We have sought to protect community and not-for-profit events whilst recognising that there is commercial interest in using our public spaces.
"Introducing new charges is never something the council does lightly.
"But we were in the situation where council services weren’t protected from costs associated with inappropriate use or damage.
"The introduction of a clear hire agreement will also alleviate pressures on services dealing with the administration of events."
Cllr Leadbitter continued: "This new policy puts us on a par with other local authorities and is being introduced following a consultation with key stakeholders.
"The council still very much supports community events in our open spaces and this specific guidance will assist staff in assessing applications fairly and consistently to identify those that should incur a charge and those that don’t.
"The updated arrangements will also mean a much more straightforward booking system that will make it easier for communities and businesses to make arrangements to use our public spaces and also a more efficient backroom process."
Tim Eagle (Buckie, Conservative) called for personal trainers who run outdoor exercises classes to be exempt from fees.
This was agreed during the meeting.
A consultation was held earlier this year into charging, with around three-quarters of those who responded saying the council should recover costs associated with events.
Details of the charges will be made available on the council’s website along with other information so that people can apply for hire online.
