This meeting was scheduled to discuss a number of issues relating to the operation and budget of Portchester Crematorium. The committee received an update on the substantial programme of building works that was underway, and were also scheduled to approve the Crematorium budget for the next financial year.

Crematorium budget

The committee was scheduled to approve budgets relating to the operation of Portchester Crematorium for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These included:

• A revenue budget that set out the day-to-day spending on the crematorium
• A capital works programme that set out the expenditure on large, long-term projects
• A repairs and renewals budget that set out the planned spending on repairs and maintenance of the building and grounds

The revenue budget for 2025/26 included the following notable features:

• A proposed increase in cremation fees of 9.1% to reflect the increasing cost of operation. The report notes that The fee level of £900 for 2025/26 is still below the 2024 average cremation fee for the UK of £959.14, and the January 2024 average cremation fee for Hampshire of £1,034.
• A reduction in the amount of money the crematorium planned to pay to its constituent councils to zero, in order to allow the crematorium to increase the amount of money it sets aside to fund future capital works. The report states that As reported to the Joint Committee at the meeting on 11 December 2023, and communicated to the Section 151 Officers[^1] of the four constituent authorities, no amount will be available to be distributed to the local authorities beyond 2024/25.
• A proposed increase in the contribution to the Capital Works Fund to £1,010,100 to reflect the ambitious capital works programme set out elsewhere in the meeting.

The capital works programme included plans to continue the programme of replacing the cremators at the crematorium at a projected cost of £1.4 million in 2025/26, with a further £317,000 scheduled to be spent on the project in 2026/27.

Progress on the Cremator replacement

The committee received a report on the progress being made in the project to replace the existing cremators at the crematorium. The report, which provided an update on the period between September and November 2024, described that:

• The installation of the two new cremators has been completed.
• Testing and commissioning of the new equipment is in progress.

Repairs and renewals

The committee also received a report on the schedule of repairs and renewals to the crematorium. The report included an update on the project to remove the water fountain at the crematorium and a note that a number of other projects were on hold while the cremator replacement scheme was completed. In particular, the report stated that:

Works on hold whilst Cremator Replacement scheme is in progress.

Risk management

Councillors received a report that set out an updated Risk Management Framework and Risk Management Policy Statement for the Crematorium. The committee was asked to approve the updated documents, which were said to be substantially similar to the previous versions.

The report described the process by which the council assured itself that risks were being managed appropriately. It stated that:

Discussions are held on an annual basis with Officers to the Joint Committee and the Manager and Registrar to gain assurance that the Risk Management principles are working at the crematorium

It also included an appendix that listed a number of risks that had been identified and the actions that were being taken to mitigate them. For example, the risk register stated that:

The crematorium site is of regional importance providing cremation services for a large geographical area

and that the crematorium was mitigating this risk by ensuring that:

Maintenance contract in place with cremator manufacturers for cremators and associated equipment to ensure they are maintained in good order.

Carbon Reduction

Councillors received a report on the progress that the crematorium had made in reducing its carbon emissions. The report included an analysis of the amount of gas and electricity used at the site and converted these figures into tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). The report found that the volume of carbon emissions at the site had fallen from the previous year and stated that:

Scope 1 emissions from the use of gas primarily for the cremation process have shown a further reduction in the year.

Updates from officers

Finally, the councillors received a series of reports from officers that provided an update on the day-to-day operations at the crematorium. These included:

• A report that provided a statistical update on the number of cremations that had taken place at the crematorium, how the ashes were dealt with, and the amount of gas that the crematorium had used. Notably the report found that the number of cremations that had taken place at the crematorium was significantly lower than in previous years. It stated that by the end of November 2024 there had been 2,323 cremations, compared with 2,800 the previous year and 2,839 the year before.
• An update from the horticultural consultant on the work that had been undertaken on the grounds of the crematorium.
• A report from the Manager and Registrar, Victoria Hatton, which included details of the metal recycling scheme run by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM). The scheme, which sees metals that are recovered after cremations recycled, with the proceeds donated to charity, requires crematoria to nominate a charity to receive the money, and the report asked the committee to consider which charities they would like to nominate.