The Mansfield and District Crematorium Joint Committee will be provided with a report on the Children's Funeral Fund and will be asked to approve the proposed cremation fees for 2025/2026. The Committee will also receive a report on the financial position of the Crematorium.

Financial Management Review April - September 2024

The Committee will receive a report on the Crematorium's finances. The report states that:

Due to the above forecast revisions, we are forecasting that we will be able to contribute £42,193 to General Reserves, leaving a surplus of £875,000 to be distributed.

The report also sets out the level of aged debtors at the crematorium.

Proposed Cremation Fees 2025-2028

The Committee will be asked to approve proposed new fees and charges for the crematorium. The report prepared for the Committee notes that:

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which provides the measure for inflation, was at 1.7% at September 2024.

The report goes on to say that:

A 5% increase is the recommended option within this report.

This is despite the rate of inflation being significantly lower than this.

The Committee are asked to approve a new fee of £1,035.50 for a standard cremation. They will also be asked to approve in principle similar rises for the following two years.

Children's Funeral Fund

The Committee will be asked to note a report on the Children's Funeral Fund. The fund is a government scheme which reimburses funeral directors and crematoria for the costs of services for children under the age of 18.

The report notes that the Crematorium has received £11,787 since June 2022.

The report goes on to say that:

To improve bereavement service provision for the parents of deceased children and children who experience bereavement, in September 2023 the committee approved that any funds that are claimed back can be repurposed to improve the children’s bereavement services at the crematorium, on an ongoing basis, rather than these funds being utilised as income.

The report sets out how this money has been used to provide a new memorial stone in the children's scattering area. It also discusses the possibility of working with The Children’s Bereavement Centre to provide bereavement counselling sessions to children in the area.

Operations Report

The Committee will receive a report on the operation of the crematorium. A number of concerns relating to the building are raised in the report. In particular the water main and internal plumbing are described as becoming urgent and needing to be replaced. The report goes on to say that:

Concern is that the water pressure will continue to reduce, and this will affect the public toilets with handwashing and flushing.

The report goes on to say that the cost of replacing the pipes:

...was put on hold due to the outstanding decision on the development of the crematorium.

The report also identifies concerns over the age and condition of the three cremators. It says:

There are still some concerns over the wiring on all 3 cremators as it is old and brittle, some components on cremators 2 and 3 are no longer manufactured and once parts that are still available are gone we have no other options but to carry out a require and have new programs on the cremators which is considerable cost.

The report also mentions an upcoming health and safety audit. The last audit, in October 2020, found that the crematorium was only 75% compliant.

Finally the report provides details of a recent inspection by the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA). The inspection found an excellent level of service provision and gave the crematorium an overall score of 95.1%.

The report notes that:

...scoring was reduced in relation to the premises and facilities and the cremation facilities; areas of which have already been identified for improvement in the development project.

The report sets out the Crematorium's plans for its annual Christmas service, which will be held on 14th December. This year's service will feature Blidworth Brass Band.

Committee Work Programme

A report will be presented to the committee outlining its future work programme. The report sets out the proposed dates for future meetings. It also notes the items expected to be discussed at those meetings.