Aibu? probably.

[cooeeyonlyme]

Hi everyone.

I am currently looking into starting a dance group for the local children in my area. I have approached my community centre and church hall to enquire about prices etc... only to be told that a business rents out both halls every single night from 4pm to 10pm (Expensive dance classes). The lady who runs the dance classes only takes on those who are at a certain level so nobody in the community actually goes.

I told the vicar who runs both halls that it isn't very fair at all.
Aibu to be pretty damn annoyed?

Already asked if i could use the school hall but i was told nope.

It's only £5 per hour to hire out the hall so i do understand why the business uses it. I'm not bothered about that at all.

But it should be fair on everybody else. That's all i ask.

You cant expect them to leave it empty on some nights on the off chance that someone else will want to hire it.

Yeah i know. I'm just annoyed that's all. Just fancied a rant lol.

£5 per hour! It could well be in her business interests to rent it and then not run any classes at all for a good proportion of that time, just to prevent competitors getting a share of the market and taking her on.

It's potentially a restrictive practice, so you're not being unreasonable, particularly because it sounds like there is nowhere else.

The committee should allow different groups to bid for the slots on a regular basis (not necessarily on the basis of who can pay most, but also who offers something which the community would not otherwise have).

I'm not sure it's legal for somebody to be a trustee of a non-profit organisation from which they derive a financial benefit; it raises a conflict of interest.

YANBU.
I'd be inclined to contact your local DISTRICT councillor to question why as a community you are paying for a lost resource which is now private enterprise, effectively.

If you can get others to do the same - ie a Rainbows leader, so much the better.

I'd also consider local press. They love stuff like this.

I'm going to have a word with the parish councillor. He seems to be a decent kind of bloke.

If that fails go to District level - they're the ones who do council tax billing and funding. See if that concentrates the mind - losing funding.

Why do you have to pay a monthly fee for this community centre?

If the hall is a registered charity they would have a hard time proving benefit to the community if it's just providing cheap business premises for a private business.

I have no idea why we have to pay it. It's just included in our council tax.
It includes a caretaker too for the buildings and he litter picks etc..

Can you pm me a link to the hall? I'm intrigued...

OP before you start looking for halls please, please check out what insurances etc you need for this - as an unqualified dance teacher (whether you call yourself a teacher or not you are in charge so are effectively acting as one in the eyes of the law) you won't be protected by the various insurances etc that membership of a professional body would give you. Plus there's things like music licences which again may or may not be held by the hall - it's highly unlikely but if someone shopped you then you'd have a hefty fine to pay.

I really admire you for wanting to do this for the community and hope it works for you. I'm sorry I have to even mention these things but in today's society, if someone had an accident then it could cause trouble. I knew of someone who got sued by a person they used to teach dancing to over 10 years ago...because the teacher put a particular step in their routine which caused the pupil an injury years later. It sounds absolutely ridiculous but is totally true :(

Ok, well I clearly take WAY too long to post.

I like that this is just below the Trumpjngton Village hall bondage scandal thread in the index. It would be good as a daily mail headline:

Children of the rate payers forced out of ballet lessons by sinister, public school educated/gypsy/Rumanian bondage affecionados who abuse Vicar's good nature.

OP it does seem a bit unjust and I think she should have to find other premises for some evenings of the week. I just don't know if you can do much about it?

It's just a little village hall Unexpected. They don't have websites i'm afraid.
After talking to the post master it appears that the lady is using the buildings until she finds a better place.

Call the vicar a snake in the grass only joking

If she's actually running classes (not just booking it so no one else can) then yabu

Why is the vicar in charge of the village hall? In our village it is run by a committee. In our case we are crying out for people to use it:-\ uanbu.

get in touch with the local council and voice your complaint. Maybe get a bit of back up from other local people too. I have never heard of a local village hall being monopolised so heavily by one business. It doesn't seem right.