BOROUGH OF POOLE
ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
6th SEPTEMBER 2010
REPORT OF THE HEAD OF LEISURE SERVICES
CREMATORIUM & CEMETERY FEES AND CHARGES
PART OF THE PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN - YES
STATUS – STRATEGIC
1 / Purpose1.1 / To review fees and charges made at Poole’s crematorium and cemeteries.
2 / Decision Required
2.1 / Members are recommended to:
2.1.1 / Consider the information provided concerning fees, charges and regulations applying to Poole’s crematorium and cemeteries in response to the Overview & Scrutiny Topic Suggestion Form.
2.1.2 / To retain the policy of double fees for non-residents of Poole.
3 / Background
3.1 / Burial and cremation services are very important and extremely sensitive and bereaved people rightly expect high standards of service delivery from the Council.
3.2 / Feedback cards returned by bereaved people utilising Poole Crematorium show the proportion satisfied and very satisfied to be consistently over 90%. The level of complaints regarding cremation and burial is extremely low. Officers organise a Bereavement Liaison Forum with external partners including Funeral Directors and Ministers to ensure regular and open communication.
3.3 / An overview & scrutiny topic suggestion form was submitted 23rd June 2010 which was referred to this Committee. It raised the following issues:
a)Representation received from residents querying
fairness of existing charges.
b)No recent review or scrutiny of these charges carried
out by members.
c)No details of these charges found on Council
web site.
3.4 / The topic suggestion form suggested the following outcomes:
a)To make sure cemetery and cremation charges
are fair and equitable for Poole residents and
non residents.
b)To publish on Council web site and make information
more readily accessible.
4 / Information
4.1 / A full schedule of charges and regulations applying to Poole’s crematorium and cemeteries is provided as Appendix 1 to this report.
4.2 / In line with current financial strategy the fees have been increased from 1st September 2010. The increase takes into account the very tough financial situation the Council faces, although the service still delivers good value for money.
4.3 / Level of fees and charges:
For many years Poole’s fees were lower than at comparable authorities, however for several years now the strategy has been to recognise the excellent standards at Poole Crematorium and the reducing grave space at Poole cemeteries by increasing prices to reduce the gap with other authorities. Appendix 2 gives some cemetery fees comparison information. Appendix 3 some cremation fees comparison information.
4.4 / Residents and Non-residents:
All crematorium fees and charges are the same regardless of resident status. All cemetery fees are doubled for non-residents. Poole’s Cemetery Regulations 1975 set out that
“Double fees will be charged in the case of interment of persons not normally resident in the Borough of Poole and who have not either normally resided in the Borough of Poole at any time in a period of five years prior to their death or purchased an exclusive right of burial while having their normal residence in the Borough of Poole.”
(Para 13.)
There are two reasons for this policy, firstly that (unlike cremation) burial uses up the limited land assets that are Poole’s four cemeteries. Secondly that burial is a service subsidised by Council Tax payers. This is normal practice with many local authorities across the country (see Appendix 2).
4.5 / Fees & Charges Information on the Web-site:
Currently this information is not posted on the Council’s web-site. The reason for this is that most people book these services through local Funeral Directors who regularly receive updated schedules from the Council for this purpose. If Members wish the information to be published (as Appendix A) this can be arranged.
5 / Financial Implications
5.1 / Figures are not collected to monitor the numbers of non-resident charges made or the amount of income collected. The numbers are small both because of the double fees and because people prefer to arrange burial in their local community. The overall budget summary for bereavement services is as follows:
Cemeteries 2009/10:
Expenditure £384,609
Income £122,759
Net expenditure£261,850
Crematorium 2009/10:
Expenditure £541,091
Income £1,143,739
Net income £602,648
6 / Legal Implications
6.1 / Changing the policy for double fees for non-residents would require amending the Council’s Cemetery Regulations 1975, this would require approval by full Council.
6.2 / The Local Authorities' Cemeteries Order 1977requires the Council to keep a table of fees available for inspection by the public at all reasonable times.
7 / Risk Management Implications
7.1 / Continuing the double fee risks causing concern and possible financial difficulty to a small number of nearby non-residents and ex-residents of Poole.
7.2 / Ceasing charging double fees risks a loss of some income, and using up the remaining grave spaces more quickly. This is felt to be the greater risk.
8 / Equalities Implications
8.1 / Poole residents are deliberately treated differently from non-residents for the reasons given above.
8.2 / The potential impact on local faith communities has been considered. Some beliefs require graves to face in a specific direction, if because of this a single burial uses more than one grave space, only one is charged for.
9 / Environmental Impact
9.1 / The environmental impacts from burial and cremation are carefully managed, regulated and monitored. Decisions made in relation to this report will not impact this.
10 / Staffing Implications
10.1 / None.
11 / Planning Implications
11.1 / None.
CLIVE SMITH
HEAD OF LEISURE SERVICES
Contact Officers:
Clive Smith
Karen Fry
Report Version: 4 – 23/8/10 Page 1