It could soon cost more to get married in Knowsley if council plans are agreed.
Knowsley Council is planning to increase many of its licence fees by 10% – with venues being charged extra for the right to hold weddings on their premises.
Venues are currently charged £1,150 for new licences to conduct marriages and civil partnerships, with renewals costing £650. Under the new plans, licences would cost an extra £115 and renewals would cost £65 more.
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The changes, which are set to come into effect from April 2023, will be implemented as “cost recovery” measures according to documents released ahead of a meeting of Knowsley Council’s licensing committee, to be held on Thursday at Huyton municipal buildings.
Other licences that could be increased include private hire and hackney fees, sex shops and the cost of street trading consents. Last year, the council took the decision to freeze a raise for taxi and cab drivers after the industry was hard hit by the pandemic.
According to a council report, it was felt at that point “any increase would have had a detrimental impact on the taxi and private hire trade at a time when it was already suffering” with many drivers leaving the trade.
However, with an “encouraging” increase in new applications and spiralling inflation, the council has now taken the decision to increase the fees this year by 10%.
The report said the increase covering the full costs of administering the licences would require a 19% rate increase but this has not been applied to avoid an “unfair burden” for a trade still recovering from the pandemic.
The fees for gambling-related licences have not been increased because they are already set at the statutory maximum, according to the report.
If the plans are approved by the licensing committee later this week, all the fee increases will come into effect from April.
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