Hi all
At Lancaster i understand its the Finance Committee that considers and is ultimately responsible for deciding room hire charges. The Committee met about 2 days after I started (or possibly just before I started). I'm not sure whether the Warden is usually asked for any input.
The decision is taken approximately 3 to 4 months before any changes are made to make sure everyone's given three month's notice. We'll be increasing the charges by approximately 7% rounded (up or down as appropriate) to the nearest 50p for any booking from 1 January2024. Most of the rooms are therefore, increasing by 50p per hour, with only the most expensive rooms at the top charging 'band' increasing by £1.00. The % increase is slightly high because the 2023 increase was lower than it 'needed' to be to cover increased running costs. My understanding is that the decision process is something like interest percentage rate plus what the building costs to staff, run, and and maintain and then a bit of finger in the air rounding... I'm hoping next year I'll have a better idea of the decision making process and how it relates to budget setting and costs, as well as affordability and comparison to other venues in the city.
All the best