A row over rent has broken out between a nursery and the trustees of a village hall amid claims the place is not warm enough.

Lisa Marchant runs Busy Bees nursery at Sutton-at-Hone Village Hall, and is in dispute with the hall’s trustees.

They are challenging her over non-payment of hire fees which she puts at some £1,500 for days when she claims the heating has been inadequate.

Mrs Marchant says the money is being withheld until the premises are warm enough during class-time sessions, held every day from 9.15am to 12.15pm.

She claims temperatures inside drop to 14C but the hall’s trustees disagree there is a problem.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, a reasonable working temperature should be at least 16C.

Some 30 children aged two to five attend the pre-school, described in a recent Ofsted report as good – with Mrs Marchant praised for showing “a strong commitment to ensuring staff are trained and up to date in their knowledge of safeguarding and protecting children.”

"The hall is very cold and takes time to warm up and that only becomes tolerable when it’s time to leave at 12.15pm." - Lisa Marchant

Mrs Marchant said: “The hall is not being heated to the minimum temperature required on some days.

“When we arrive in the mornings the hall is very cold and takes time to warm up and that only becomes tolerable when it’s time to leave at 12.15pm.

“I’ve been operating out of this hall for 17 years and never missed a payment until now.

She said she complained to the village hall trustees but claims to have received responses advising parents should put an extra jumper on their child.

Robert Reed, chairman of the hall’s trustees, said: “The heating system is serviced every year and engineers have not indicated to me it needs replacing.

“Mrs Marchant has never said to me that she has had to send the children home.

“As far as I’m concerned we have no other complaints from any of the hall’s other users.

“Because of legal proceedings, I really can’t say any more.”

Parish Support

The parish council says it sympathises with the nursery school.

Parish council chairman Cllr Chris Armstrong said: “The council discussed the problem at its last meeting and we were all dismayed at this unsatisfactory situation.

“The trustees need to sit down and have some realistic discussions about the hall’s heating and its draughty toilets and doors.

“I visited a few days ago before the children arrived, and Mrs Marchant and her team were all stood there in their winter coats and jackets.

“The heating was not working and it was cold.

“There are times when she has to send the children home and that results in a loss of income for her.”