Issue - meetings

The Portfolio Holder for Growth and Prosperity to submit a report to inform Cabinet of the actions taken so far and to propose a series of actions to improve the facilities at the Thorpe Road Cemetery owned by Melton Borough Council.

1)    Cabinet APPROVED the Cemetery Improvement Action Plan;

2)    Cabinet APPROVED the proposed changes to service charges to take effect from 1 December 2019;

3)    Cabinet RECOMMEDED that Council approve the use of special expense reserve to cover the one-off cost for the improvement plan;

4)    Cabinet APPROVED the commencement of works to explore options on how to make optimum use of Thorpe Road Cemetery and consider options for available sites for future provision.

Councillor Leigh Higgins, Portfolio Holder for Growth and Prosperity introduced the report, the purpose of which was to inform Cabinet of the actions taken so far and to propose a series of actions to improve the facilities at the Thorpe Road cemetery owned by the Council.

Councillor Higgins provided a brief summary of the report, thanking Members for their feedback and the public for their engagement.  The public had taken ownership of this issue and this report was a huge testament to them. 

Councillor Higgins commented that the cemetery was a key community facility and the Council needed to invest in this.  One-off improvement works, detailed at Appendix A of the report were estimated at £17k.  He highlighted the proposed charges for the cemetery services, as detailed at Appendix B of the report.  While it was proposed to increase most charges, all child (age 0-12), infant and still-born burials charges were proposed to be removed.

Councillor Higgins highlighted that the cemetery had an estimated supply of five years worth of space left and it was important to plan ahead.  Measures were being taken in view of this and were detailed at paragraph 6.9 of the report.

Councillor Higgins proposed an amendment to the recommendation at paragraph 3.2 of the report (that changes to service charges take effect from 1 December 2019 instead of 1 April 2020).  Cabinet approved this amendment.

During discussion the following points were noted:

      i.        Members noted the excellent work undertaken by Councillor Higgins, officers and the public on the Improvement Plan.  The public, town and ward Councillors had led on this issue.  Action had been taken on concerns raised by the public and the feedback received from town and ward Councillors had been vital.

DECISIONS (NON-KEY)

1)    Cabinet APPROVED the Cemetery Improvement Action Plan;

2)    Cabinet APPROVED the proposed changes to service charges to take effect from 1 December 2019;

3)    Cabinet RECOMMEDED that Council approve the use of special expense reserve to cover the one-off cost for the improvement plan;

4)    Cabinet APPROVED the commencement of works to explore options on how to make optimum use of Thorpe Road Cemetery and consider options for available sites for future provision.

Reasons for decision:

The Cemetery was a key element of community facilities offered and managed by the Council.  It was important to provide a good quality environment and service to the customers choosing to use this service.