risc terms and conditions of hire

• These conditions apply to any organisation or individual wishing to hire any part of RISC.
• A booking form must be filled in for each event. In the case of regular bookings where details are identical for each date (eg The fourth Thursday of every month) one booking form will be adequate for the whole year.
• A booking will not be considered confirmed until a completed booking form is received.
• The person signing the booking form should be at least 18 years of age. This person is liable for the booking. If the person is signing on behalf of an organisation then the organisation is jointly liable for the booking.
• There should always be at least one person over the age of 18 present throughout the hire period.
• RISC is available for hire between 08.00 and 23.00 Monday to Thursday, between 08.00 and 23.00 Friday and Saturday, and 10.00 to 22.00 Sunday. Any variation on these times is at the discretion of the Facilities Co-ordinator in accordance with our Premises Licence.
• There is a minimum booking period of 2 hours.

charges

• The hirer agrees to pay RISC all charges as quoted by the Facilities Co-ordinator at the time of booking. Payment can be made by cash or by cheque with a valid cheque guarantee card. (Please make cheques payable to ‘WEB RISC'.) Alternatively payment can be made by bank transfer or Paypal. Please ask for details.
• Full payment for room hire must be received no later than 14 days before the event, unless the hirer is an organisation which has previously arranged an account with us. In the event of payment not being made before this date, RISC reserves the right to cancel the booking. Any booking made within the 14 day period must be accompanied by full payment of the hire charge. A booking is considered confirmed once the booking form has been received.
• For account customers, our terms are strictly 30 days from the date of the invoice unless otherwise stated on the invoice. Failure to keep to these terms may result in the account being stopped and future bookings may be jeopardised.

cancellation and changes

• Cancellation fees are charged if the event is cancelled without adequate notice. The hirer must give notice of cancellation in person to the Facilities Co-ordinator, or in writing (letter or email).
• The following cancellation charges apply:
• Cancellation up to 28 days prior to the booking: no charge.
• Cancellation between 28 and 14 days before the event: 12.5% of the room hire charge.
• Cancellation between 14 and 7 days before the event: 25% of the room hire charge.
• Cancellation with less than 7 days notice: 50% of the room hire charge.
• Any changes to the booking must be agreed with the Facilities Co-ordinator and confirmed in writing (letter or email).

availability

• At all times during the hire period, the buiding, grounds and equipment remain under the full control of RISC and its representatives. Any instructions given by our representatives must be complied with.
• The hirer is not entitled to use or enter the premises at any other time other than the specified hire period unless by prior arrangement with the Facilities Co-ordinator.
• The hirer must allow for setting up and packing up time in their booking request. If the event overruns the hirer will be charged for the excess.
• The hirer is not entitled to store any equipment or other items on the premises outside of the hire period unless by prior arrangement with the Facilities Co-ordinator. RISC bears no responsibility for items kept on the premises before, during and after the hire period.
• RISC reserves the right to cancel any booking if it needs to use the venue for its own purposes. RISC will give the hirer a minimum of 28 days notice if this is necessary and will attempt to relocate the event to an appropriate venue on your behalf. Any payments received will be reimbursed.
• We are currently not accepting bookings for parties (apart from day time children's parties), discos, band nights and other social events where a bar would be necessary.

health and safety

• Please ensure that you have read the fire notices in the function room and that you are aware of emergency procedures.
• The hirer is responsible for keeping a register of the number, and where possible the names of people attending their event which can be used in the event of an emergency or fire drill.
• All fire exits/ doors are to be left unobstructed and emergency lights should remain uncovered.
• The hirer should ensure the capacity for the function rooms is not exceded. The Facilities Co-ordinator will advise on this at the time of booking.
• Only equipment that has a valid PAT test can be brought in and used on the premises.
• Children should be supervised at all times by a responsible adult.

insurance

• Hirers are expected to have their own Public Liability Insurance and may be asked to produce evidence of this insurance prior to the event.
• The hirer will reimburse RISC for any loss or damage caused to the building or property belonging to RISC as a result of the hiring.

security

• For your safety CCTV cameras are located inside the building and around the outside of the premises and are recording images 24 hours a day. In the event of an incident images may be shared with the police.

alcohol

• While the Global Cafe remains closed we are currently not able to take bookings for any events that would require a bar.
• As holders of the alcohol licence RISC reserves the right to be the sole provider of any alcohol consumed on the premises, including its grounds. Staff will confiscate any other alcohol brought on to the premises.

parking

• For weekday daytime: from 06.00 to 18.00 there is no parking available. RISC has a small car park which is only available to staff and tenants during this time. Please do not park in our neighbours’ car park (lower level car park at bottom of the ramp) as you will receive a parking fine. There are some metered parking spaces on London Street and South Street. The nearest public car parks are at Queens Road or The Oracle.
• For weekday evenings (18.00 to 06.00) and all day on weekends: Parking is available on a first come first served basis to bona fide users of our meeting rooms.
• We aim to provide spaces in our car park for the registered disabled if given advance notice. Please contact the office.
• Users park in our car park at their own risk. We take no responsibility for loss or damage to cars whilst parked on our premises.

publicity

• RISC does not accept responsibility for fines incurred by flyposting. Any fines received at RISC will be redirected to the hirers responsible whose contact details will be forwarded to the relevant authorities.

noise

• Please be aware that our meeting rooms are close together and keep unnecessary noise to a minimum to avoid disturbing other room users. Please let us know if your event is likely to be noisy when making initial enquiries about room bookings.
• Please bear in mind that there are flats and a hotel in neighbouring buildings and keep noise to a minimum when entering and leaving the premises, especially late at night.

equal opportunities

• Equal opportunities policy and practice is central to RISC’s work and as such it seeks to provide services, employment, management and decision making processes that are accessible to everyone. Members of the Board of Trustees, members of staff (paid and unpaid), volunteers, member organisations and individuals and groups using RISC services and facilities are all included in this equal opportunities policy and its implementation. RISC seeks to ensure that no one is discriminated against on the grounds of age, class, employment status, HIV status, physical or mental disability, political or religious belief, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, sex, marital status, parental or caring responsibilities, sexuality, and unrelated criminal conviction.
• Nor is anyone to be disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.
• Where discrimination does occur RISC’s Board of Trustees, staff, volunteers and user groups commit themselves to taking positive action against discrimination.

the following behaviour is not allowed in this community centre

• Attacks on individuals or groups on the grounds of their race, colour, sex, disability, sexuality etc.
• Discriminatory name calling, insulting remarks, jokes or threats.
• Writing such remarks on walls and other places.
• Encouraging other people to harass or discriminate against other individuals or groups.
• Provocative behaviour such as wearing racist or fascist insignia.
• Bringing on to the premises materials such as leaflets and magazines which in any way support racist, sexist, homophobic or disability discrimination.

privacy statement

• RISC takes your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to update you about your booking. Your contact details will be stored securely and only accessible to authorised staff members. We will hold your details for 2 years after which they will be destroyed. We will not share your details with anyone outside of RISC without your permission.

risc special conditions of hire during covid-19 – september 2022 update

• Note: These conditions are supplemental to, not a replacement for, the meeting rooms ordinary conditions of hire.
• England entered Step 4 of the Roadmap on the 19th July 2021 and all restrictions were lifted. There are still cases within our community but we have to learn to live with covid while carrying on our daily activities. The health and wellbeing of our customers is always our top priority, therefore we aim to keep many existing measures in place and would encourage customers and staff to carry on taking these precautions where at all possible.
• Hand sanitising stations will remain at all the key entrances to the building. Please encourage attendees to use this on entry and exit.
• As before, your meeting room will be cleaned and sanitised before you arrive, including tables, door handles/ controls, light switches and equipment controls. Cleaning products will also be made available in the foyer for use by hirers if required. Sanitising spray and other cleaning materials should not be sprayed directly on to electrical equipment or switches. Cloth or paper towel should be used.
• While no longer mandatory we would ask that anyone feeling unwell stays at home to avoid spreading the virus.
• Access to the meeting rooms remains via the rear entrance off the car park. There will be no access to the rooms via our shop or café until further notice, and anyone wishing to visit the shop or café (if open) will need to use the London Street entrance rather than taking the staircase down from the foyer. This is to maintain our one way system downstairs.
• We politely request that members of your group do not enter or use any other rooms apart from those which have been booked for your event - other rooms may have been cleaned and sanitised ready for the next group.
• Please ensure that all children are supervised by a responsible adult and are not allowed to run around the foyer, corridors or any other communal areas.
• You will keep the premises well ventilated throughout your hire, with windows and doors (except fire doors) open as far as convenient. Please ensure they are all securely closed on leaving
• Please ensure that you do not excede the maximum capacity of the room. If a larger room is available on the day we will do our best to move you in there if appropriate, at no extra cost.
• The wearing of face coverings is no longer a legal requirement. Our shop staff downstairs have agreed they would like to continue wearing face coverings and encourage customers to do so if they feel able.
• You will be responsible for the disposal of all rubbish created during your hire, including tissues and cleaning cloths, in the rubbish bin in your room. Please ensure attendees follow the NHS Catch It, Bin It, Kill It guidelines for disposal of tissues
• We will have the right to close the meeting rooms if there are safety concerns relating to COVID-19, for example, in the event that public buildings are asked or required to close again. If this is necessary, we will do our best to inform you promptly and you will not be charged for this hire.
• If you need to bring equipment to the Centre then please sanitise before arrival and avoid sharing with other attendees if possible.

Thank you for helping us to keep RISC a safe place to work and visit.

We welcome your comments and suggestions about the facilities and services we provide. Please address any comments to the Facilities Co-ordinator at RISC (admin@risc.org.uk)