The Greater Gwent Cremation Joint Committee met to discuss budget performance, facilities management, and a report from local funeral directors. The committee was also scheduled to decide which charity or charities should benefit from this year's Metal Recycling Scheme, and to consider the manager's report.

Distribution of ICCM Metals Recycling Donation

The committee was scheduled to vote on which charities should benefit from monies from the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) Recycling of Metals Scheme for 2025.

The report pack noted that the ICCM asks that the charities chosen are death-related charities, as this is seen as appropriate given the circumstances.

The charities nominated were:

• Hospice of the Valleys
• Newport and Gwent Samaritans
• Cruse Bereavement Support Gwent
• Lullaby Trust
• Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
• HCPT Group 99
• British Heart Foundation
• The Children's Liver Disease Foundation and British Liver Trust
• Calon Hearts

Summaries of the work of each charity were provided in the report pack. For example, the summary of the Newport and Gwent Samaritans states:

Our vision is that fewer people die by suicide.

To achieve this, we believe Samaritans has a crucial role to play in:

• Reducing the risk factors that make some people more likely to take their own lives.
• Ensuring that people who are at increased risk of suicide are supported.
• Making it less likely that people who do experience suicidal thoughts act on them.
• Reducing the likelihood that people will develop suicidal thoughts.

Review of Budget Performance 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to consider the budget position, and the potential impact on reserves, and to note or approve the restated annual return for 2024-25.

The report pack included a financial summary for 2025/26, which showed a budgeted surplus of £351,682, but a projected surplus of £174,646 due to additional costs associated with the cremator replacement and refurbishment works.

The report pack stated that the overspend on premises related expenditure of £82,032 was attributable to increased cremator repair works of £37,000, and also the additional cost of associated works of £195,000, identified during the cremator replacement/refurbishment project works.

The report pack also noted that income was forecast to be £75,000 less than budgeted, which reflects the loss of income in July/August from the reduced cremation numbers, due to the planned closure.

Audit Wales completed an independent examination of the Annual Return for 2024-25 and identified some amendments required to the Annual Return. The committee was scheduled to re-approve the amended Annual Return.

Manager's Report

The committee was scheduled to consider the manager's report, which included statistics on memorial and tribute sales, and cremations.

The report pack noted that there had been a reduction in service in both July and August due to the closure, where a total of 19 full-service days were lost. The report pack stated that the direct services and direct attend services are still proving incredibly popular, and numbers are generally very encouraging in light of the closures.

The report pack also noted that the works started on site as previously advised with the crematorium closing fully for the first two weeks of the project and then programmed to close on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays for the following four weeks. The report pack stated that progress was made with the chapel refurbishment and decoration, along with ancillary building works to allow space for the new cremator build.

The report pack stated that the roof works were completed, and the solar panels have been fitted and commissioned, currently the panels are generating up to 40% of the electricity that is currently being used on site.

The report pack also noted that the build of the new cremator will now be starting Saturday the 8th of November with the removal of the redundant Flue Gas Treatment equipment taking place at the end of September.