Summary
An English town council's agenda paper setting out three firms' quotes for a hearing loop and microphones in its council chamber.
Key findings
- Says the council had received a report on the legal requirement to make reasonable changes, including auxiliary aids such as an induction loop in public buildings, and asked the clerk to obtain quotes for a loop and microphones in the chamber.
- Three companies quoted six options, net of VAT: £1,179 for a floor or wall loop with two shotgun microphones; £1,250 for a floor or wall loop with one plug-in microphone; £2,750 for a ceiling loop with the same microphone, from the same firm; £3,939 for a floor or wall loop with a hanging condenser microphone, amplifier and mixer, or £5,134 with a speaker system added; and £4,351.20 for the shotgun-microphone option with a 75-inch display, soundbar and cables.
- With VAT the options ranged from £1,414.80 to £6,160.80, and the paper asked councillors to choose a system and any optional extras.
- The one-page Quotes table gives VAT and tax-inclusive totals respectively as: option 1a £550 and £3,300; 1b £250 and £1,500; the first 2a £787.80 and £4,726.80; the second 2a, with speakers, £1,026.80 and £6,160.80; 3a £235.80 and £1,414.80; and 3b £870.24 and £5,221.44. The source repeats label 2a. Both company 1 alternatives include a plug-in microphone with a 6 m lead; both company 2 alternatives specify a CHM 99 hanging microphone; option 3b also lists the display's mounting bracket.
Limits
Quotes for one council chamber, without the room's size, a site survey, field strength targets or a commissioning test; the paper does not say whether the quotes meet IEC 60118-4. A follow-up paper (Item 143) records a site visit and a revised quote and was not used for these findings. Date from the PDF's creation date (29 November 2022); the file sits in a 2024 upload folder.
Read the original
rugeleytowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Item-124-Hearing-Loop-in-Chamber.pdf
Cited in
- What does each system cost to install and to run over its life?Open
- What works in courtrooms, council chambers and other meeting rooms where speech must be heard by all and kept in the room?Partly answered
Cite this source
Rugeley Town Council (Town Clerk). Item 124: Hearing Loop in Chamber. Rugeley Town Council (meeting papers). 29 November 2022. https://rugeleytowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Item-124-Hearing-Loop-in-Chamber.pdf (accessed 13 October 2026).
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