Town hall says "I don't" to wedding price rise

6:47pm Sunday 20th January 2008

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Massive rises in the cost of council weddings and cremations have been shelved.

Brighton and Hove City Council had proposed to charge up to £325 for a civil ceremony at Brighton Town Hall, an increase of £285.

The controversial price changes also included a seven per cent rise in the cost of council cremations.

But Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors voted together to scupper the move which was supported by the ruling Conservative administration.

Lib Dem Councillor Paul Elgood described the plans as an attempt to tax life and death.

Ann Norman, head of the city's finances, said the prices for weddings and funerals would have remained fair and competitive.

She said: "The rooms are a very competitively price with what is offered in the city outside of these two ceremony rooms and we believe they offer excellent value for money.

"Our charges for the bereaved have been arrived at taking into account both neighbouring authorities and the local private sector.

"We believe we offer excellent value for money and have a duty to council tax payers to charge appropriately."

She added the new charges will be voted on again at the next full council in March.

Currently, weddings and civil partnerships cost the Government-set rate of £40 for 30 minutes in the main ceremony hall, which holds up to 50 guests and offers a "wedcam" for long-distance relatives.

The price increases were put forward because ceremonies are becoming increasingly long and complex with couples demanding personal marriage vows, harpists and poetry readings.

From October, weddings at the statutory charge were to be held in a small anteroom, currently used for pre-ceremony interviews, with a maximum of 12 people present.

The cost for the main ceremony room was to range from £80 on Mondays to Thursday to £325 on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

The price of cremations in Brighton and Hove was also to rise from £318 to £342 from April after a review of fees.

Councillor Elgood said he could not support the new prices.

He said: "The fee hike proposals would have seen weddings or partnerships which are undertaken at the statutory rate relegated to side room, hitting less well off couples hard.

"For years the previous Labour administration looked at raising charges for this kind of thing and never dared.

"The lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender community value their special days and forcing residents to pay more to use their own town hall ceremony rooms was simply not acceptable."

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