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Andy Hardiman and Dave Bennet are set to marry. |
Gay couple are told to pay £1,000 for reception
in road
A GAY couple’s big day has been hit by a Town Hall bill for £1,000 after they asked for a back street to be closed while they celebrated their wedding.
Andy Hardiman and Dave Bennet are tying the knot at the Town Hall in August and have been busy planning a party to celebrate their betrothal.
But the bill has been an unwelcome surprise. The pair both live in King’s Cross and have chosen McGlynns, their favourite pub, in Whidborne Street, for a reception afterwards. But the sheer number of friends and neighbours who want to share in the special day means they have had to apply to close off a 50-metre section of the street to accommodate well wishers.
It is a cul-de-sac with no through route, and, because so many neighbours were invited, they decided to ask the council to close the road.
Mr Bennet said: “At first the council said it wasn’t a community event – but although it is our big day, we have invited everyone locally, so we feel it is.
“Then they said we could have the road closed for the afternoon, but we’d have to find £1,500. We were shocked, and could not understand why it was so much.”
The couple, both chefs, have been together for seven years and their party will include bands and DJs from King’s Cross. Catering has been supplied by a firm based in the street while photos will be taken by a studio opposite the pub. The couple’s union will be blessed at Holy Cross church, opposite Whidborne Street.
After further correspondence with the Town Hall, they were told they could have a £500 discount, but the pair say the real issue is how much it costs for communities to throw small-scale street parties.
Mr Bennet said: “What do they need to do? Put a few notices up and send out a few letters? I fear such a cost could put people off from simply having a party with their neighbours.”
A council spokesman said it does not charge a community groups, but applies a fee of £1,500 for road closures.
“The council did not consider a wedding to be a community event, therefore Mr Bennet was required to pay the set fee,” the spokesman added. |
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