Would you know when to question a community building booking?
A simple ASK – CHECK – DECIDE approach can help trustees and committees carry out proportionate community building booking checks when an enquiry is unfamiliar, unusual or unclear.

 

Community buildings are there to bring people together and the vast majority of bookings will be straightforward. Occasionally, however, an enquiry may be unfamiliar, unusual or unclear, or raise questions about who is behind an event and what is actually being planned.

That does not mean treating every new hirer with suspicion. It does mean knowing when it is sensible to ask a few more questions before confirming a booking.

Working with Mark Woolner, Prevent Coordinator at Cambridgeshire County Council, we have produced new guidance to help trustees, management committees and anyone responsible for venue bookings take a proportionate and practical approach.

At its heart is a simple three-step process:

• ASK – gather enough information to understand who is hiring your venue, what they are planning and who is involved.
• CHECK – where something is unfamiliar or unclear, carry out reasonable checks using reliable sources.
• DECIDE – bring the information together, consider your venue’s policies and any identified risks, and record the reasons for your decision.

The aim is not to eliminate every possible risk or create extra work for routine bookings. It is to help committees recognise when a little more due diligence is appropriate and make decisions that are fair, consistent and evidence-led.

Our new guide ‘Prevent considerations for community buildings’ takes you through the ASK – CHECK – DECIDE process in more detail, with practical questions to ask, checks you might make, possible booking conditions, a decision record and a final checklist.

Download the full guide: Prevent considerations for community buildings