Licensing Approved Premises for Civil Marriage and Civil Partnership Registration

Application forms for premises to become approved venues in County Durham for civil marriages and for civil partnership registration ceremonies are available from:

Durham County Council
Corporate Services
County Hall
Durham
DH1 5UL

Telephone Contact: Sue Burlison 0191 3833792

Premises are licensed in accordance with the Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) Regulations 2005. Licenses are issued in accordance with guidelines issued by the General Register Office and Durham County Council. From 1st April 2007,the fee for a licence of three years duration will be Ł1300.00 and cheques are payable to Durham County Council.

Requirements for Approval

The premises must be a seemly and dignified venue for the proceedings
The premises must be regularly available to the public for the solemnization of marriages or the formation of civil partnerships.
The premises must meet the required fire precautions and other health and safety provisions
The premises must not be of a religious nature

The Terms and Conditions for granting a Licence are that:

The holder of the approval must ensure that there is at all times an individual with responsibility for ensuring compliance with the licence conditions.
The responsible person or, in his/her absence, an appropriately qualified deputy , shall be available on the premises for a minimum of one hour prior to each ceremony and throughout each ceremony.
The holder must notify the County Council:
1. Of his/her name and address immediately upon becoming the holder of an approval.
2. Of the name, address and qualification of the responsible person immediately upon the appointment of a new responsible person.
The holder must also notify the County Council immediately of any change to any of the following:
1. The layout of the premises, as shown in the plan submitted with the approved application, or in the use of the premises.
2. The name or full postal address of the approved premises.
3. The description of the room or rooms in which ceremonies are to be undertaken.
4. The name or address of the holder of the approval.
5. The name, address or qualification of the responsible person.
The approved premises must be available at all reasonable times for inspection by the County Council.
A suitable notice stating that the premises have been approved as a venue for marriage in pursuance of Section 26(1)(bb) of the Marriage Act 1949 and for the formation of civil partnerships under section 6(3A)(a) of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 and identifying and giving directions to the room in which a ceremony is to take place must be displayed at each public entrance to the premises for one hour prior to the ceremony and throughout the ceremony.
No food or drink may be sold or consumed in the room in which a marriage or civil partnership ceremony takes place for one hour prior to that ceremony or during that ceremony.
All ceremonies must take place in a room which was identified as one to be used as such on the plan submitted with the approved application.
The room in which a ceremony takes place must be separate from any other activity on the premises at the time of the ceremony.
The arrangements for and content of each ceremony must meet with the prior approval of the Superintendent Registrar of the district or the registration authority of the area in which the approved premises are situated.
Any ceremonies conducted on approved premises shall not be religious in nature. In particular the ceremony shall not:
1. Include extracts from an authorised religious marriage service or from sacred religious texts.
2. Be led by a minister of religion or other religious leader.
3. Involve a religious ritual or series of rituals.
4. Include hymns or other religious chants.
5. Include any form of worship.
- But the ceremony may include readings, songs or music, that contain incidental reference to a god or deity in an essentially non-religious context. For this purpose any material used by way of introduction to, in any interval between parts of, or by way of conclusion to the ceremony shall be treated as forming part of the ceremony.
Public access to any ceremony in approved premises must be permitted without charge.
Any reference to the approval of premises on any sign or notice, or on any stationery or publication, or within any advertisement may state that the premises have been approved by the council as a venue for marriage in pursuance of Section 26(1)(bb) of the 1949 Marriage Act and the registration of civil partnerships under section 6(3A) (a) of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 but shall not state or imply any recommendation of the premises or its facilities by the council, the Registrar General or any of the officers or employees of either of them.
If a change of name to the approved premises occurs after the issue of the certificate for marriage or the civil partnership document but before the ceremony, the former name of the approved premises as recorded in the certificate for marriage or the civil partnership document shall remain valid for its duration for the purpose of the ceremony.

Durham County Council Standard Conditions of Approval

Interview room - There must be one room in which to carry out a confidential interview with both partners to the ceremony. This should be adjacent to the ceremony room.
Access - Registration staff must have access to the ceremony room and the interview room at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony. Guests will require access at least 20 minutes prior to the ceremony.
Furniture - The Registrar will require one table of not less than 6ft by 3ft plus seating. The guests will also require adequate seating.
Lighting should be such to enable the Registrar to work in comfort.
Toilets should be available and easily accessible.
Car parking - Two free spaces should be made available for the use of the Registration staff. These spaces should be as near to the main entrance as possible.
Music - The ceremony room must be isolated from all background music and from the public address system. Any music played in the ceremony room must be that which is acceptable to the registration staff.
Ushers - It will be the responsibility of the Licence Holder to provide an usher/ushers for the marriage.
Health and safety - The Licence Holder must ensure that satisfactory arrangements have been made for the safety of the registration staff who are conducting the ceremony. He/she should ensure that all attending the ceremony are aware of the evacuation procedures. The Licence Holder is to advise those booking a marriage or civil partnership ceremony of any limitations which may be imposed on the size of the party.
Marriage and Civil Partnership bookings - The Licence holder must not make a firm booking for a marriage or civil partnership ceremony until he/she has received notice from the Superintendent Registrar that she can attend to conduct the ceremony on that particular day.The Licence Holder must also advise couples of the necessity to make a provisional booking with the Superintendent Registrar as soon as they have made their tentative booking with the Licence Holder.
Cancellation of bookings - The Licence Holder must inform the Superintendent Registrar of any ceremony cancellation within 48 hours of the cancellation.

Renewal/Revocation/Review of licence

The holder may apply for the renewal of an approval when the current approval has not more than 12 months before it is due to expire. An application for renewal made in this period will extend the current approval until the application has been finally dealt with. A renewal will run from the expiry date of the current approval.
The County Council may revoke an approval if it is satisfied, after considering any representations from the holder, that the use or structure of the premises has changed so that any of the standard or local requirements cannot be met or the holder has failed to comply with one or more of the standard or local conditions attached to the approval.
The Registrar General may direct the County Council to revoke an approval if, in his opinion and after considering any representations from the holder, there have been breaches of the law relating to marriage or Civil Partnership registrations on the approved premises.
When an approval has been revoked the regulations require the former holder to notify any couples who had arranged a ceremony on the premises.
An applicant may seek a review by the County Council of its decision to refuse to grant an approval, to attach local conditions, to refuse to renew an approval or to revoke an approval.
The review must be carried out by a different officer, committee or sub-committee than that which made the decision which is being appealed against. The review panel may confirm the decision, rescind it or vary it with the imposition of fresh or further conditions.
The County Council may charge an additional fee for a review of its decision to refuse to grant an approval, to attach local conditions or to refuse to renew an approval.
A direction by the Registrar General to revoke an approval is not subject to review by the County Council.
Details of approved premises will be held for public inspection by the County Council. These details will be copied to the Superintendent Registrar of the district in which the premises are situated and to the Registrar General who will periodically circulate the details to all superintendent registrars.

Procedure for Approval

An application form together with the required fee should be submitted to the County Council

A mutually convenient date will then be made for the premises to be inspected to ensure compliance with fire, other health and safety issues and building regulations

An advert will also be placed in the local newspaper for a period of three weeks to allow public consultation on the application

On receipt of no objections and satisfactory reports the licence will then be issued within a timescale of 12 weeks.