GETTING married by a registrar in Hereford will be far cheaper than having the same service in Ledbury, from now on.

Herefordshire Council says this is because very few weddings are taking place in the town council offices and the staff involved are actually based in Hereford, making the city the cheaper option for the county.

But town councillors believe this is discriminatory.

Cllr Richard Hadley said: "This is a punitive charge. This is petty and unnecessary discrimination against a market town."

Cllr Allen Conway said: "Is this Hereford Council's way of saying, we want everything to happen in Hereford?"

From now on, any couple getting married in Ledbury town council offices is facing a bill of £350 for the ceremony, compared with £175 in Hereford.

The increase will be passed on to couples, not taxpayers

But the Herefordshire councillor for Ledbury, Cllr Liz Harvey, believes Ledbury still has more to offer couples than Hereford, as a wedding town.

She said: "I accept the maths, but in Hereford they won't have our cobbled lane and the Walled Garden for photographs."

Cllr Harvey spoke against an offer for Saturday only weddings, which would prevent a rise in charges.

She said: "If we look at it as a business opportunity for the town, why would we limit ourselves?"

Ledbury town councillors voted to offer the service both weekdays on on Saturdays, and they also voted in favour of a proposal, from Cllr Clive Jupp, that Herefordshire Council should "consider equality in charging across the whole county".

But Herefordshire Council says it was the town council's decision to charge more than it needed to last year, ahead of the present rise in prices, by adding on a room hire fee.

Herefordshire council communications officer, Michelle Morgan said: "In October 2013, Herefordshire Council took the decision to close ceremony rooms in the market towns, following a review of the registration service.

"Ledbury Town Council requested to take responsibility for the remaining term of the Ledbury licence to allow ceremonies to continue taking place at the town council offices. Herefordshire Council agreed to the request and not only didn’t charge for this but also offered to keep the ceremony fees at the same rate as the Hereford register office.

"However, the town council chose to charge a room hire fee of £225 for each wedding, - which more than doubled the cost to the customer."

She added: "From October 2013 to September 2014, there were only seven weddings held at the Ledbury Town Council offices . Herefordshire Council is able to offer a lower cost for ceremonies at the Hereford register office, as this is where staff are based on a full time basis and we hold several weddings on a Saturday which means we are able to lower our staffing costs. This provides a low cost alternative for a ceremony for the county of Herefordshire."