24th March 2022 Cemetery Committee
Minutes of Cemetery Committee on 24th March 2022 at 7.00pm
held at Mareham le Fen Community Centre
Present: Cllrs D. Hill (Chair), S. Millen, M. Percival and P. Bourn.
Clerk: A. Everard Members of Public present: None
CC1/22. Election of Chair of the Cemetery Committee
Cllr Hill was nominated by Cllr Bourn and seconded by Cllr Millen and unanimously approved
RESOLVED Cllr Hill was elected Chair of the Cemetery Committee.
CC/2/22. Apologies for absence with reason given and approval if appropriate.
Cllr Chilvers had sent his apologies prior to the meeting and Cllr Percival proposed and Cllr Bourn seconded and unanimously approved RESOLVED to accept reason for Cllr Chilvers and his absence was approved.
CC/3/22. Declaration of Committee Members’ interests in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and consideration of any dispensations.
There were none.
CC/4/22. To consider and note the Terms of Reference for the Cemetery Committee.
The Committee noted that the committee consisted of all members of full parish council.
CC/5/22. To develop and consider and approve Cemetery Regulations, Terms and Conditions to apply to the Cemetery, burial rights, exclusive rights to burial and memorial rights, to decide the date of application and arrangements for any consultations.
Members had received copies of regulations, terms and conditions from other cemeteries and the Clerk had circulated a draft that the committee could consider. The ICCM, Funeral Directors and Memorial Masons had also been asked to comment on the draft version prior to the committee meeting. The Committee then worked through the document and feedback. The Committee proposed some amendments be incorporated and Cllr Hill proposed and Cllr Percival seconded approval of the draft Cemetery Regulations, Terms and Conditions from 1st April 2022 and to consider any feedback at the next Cemetery Committee meeting, the motion was unanimously approved,
RESOLVED to introduce the Cemetery Regulations, Terms and Conditions from 1st April 2022 and review feedback at the next committee meeting.
CC/6/22. To consider and approve Cemetery Fees effective from 1st April 2022.
The Committee had comparative fees data from other Lincolnshire cemeteries to consider. Current fees were very low in comparison and not covering annual grounds maintenance costs or building up a fund for current maintenance or future development of the cemetery extension. Recommendations from the report were considered to increase parishioner fees for Exclusive Rights for Plots for burials to £250 and ashes to £195, interment fees to £250 for burials and £195 for cremated remains, memorial rights for tablets/vases to £125, headstones to £200 and £300 for a double plot and additional inscriptions to £95, and a search fee introduced of £25 per hour or part thereof and it was proposed by Cllr Bourn and seconded by Cllr Percival to adopt the new fees from 1st April 2022 and unanimously approved
RESOLVED to approve the new cemetery fees from 1st April 2022.
CC/7/22. To develop and approve a development plan for the Cemetery Extension, including project costs, timescales, funding options and consultation arrangements.
Committee discussed the potential costs involved in developing the new cemetery extension which must comply with new Environment Agency requirements, planning permission from East Lindsey, fencing, landscaping, paving, access and careful mapping out to maximise available plot numbers and gain efficient land use. Based on consultants’ fee proposals the potential cost could be between £50,000-£70,000 and the council would need to consider how this would be funded. The Clerk advised on the steps involved in obtaining a Public Works Board Loan including consultation after planning permission obtained. At this stage there was potentially 3-5 years development to get the cemetery extension into use and there is just about enough space in the current cemetery to allow for this. Groundwater testing had begun already and this would be needed with any future planning application. The committee thought it would be beneficial to raise the issue at the forthcoming Annual Parish Meeting.
CC/8/22. Frequency, dates and times of future Cemetery Committee meetings.
It was proposed that the committee would reconvene to be able to consider matters as they arose but a meeting on Thursday 12th May 2022 to consider any feedback and progress on the cemetery extension would be helpful.
The meeting ended at 8.30pm.