Agenda item

The Committee considered a report and presentation of the Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Climate Change which provided information on the work of Bereavement Services (for copy of report and presentation see file of minutes). 

The Chair welcomed Ian Hoult, Neighbourhood Protection Manager and Graham Harrison, Bereavement Services Manager to the meeting to deliver a presentation.  The Neighbourhood Protection Manager outlined the statutory requirement that burial authorities are authorised, but not required, to provide burial grounds. In addition, the Council has a statutory duty to make arrangements for the funerals of people who die without funeral arrangements, known as public health funerals.

The Neighbourhood Protection Manager spoke of how the functions of the bereavement service link to the ambitions set out in the themes of the Council Plan, in relation to communities, the environment and the economy.  The Committee noted the changing customer demand, with a higher number of people being cremated than buried. The number of public health funerals continues to increase, mainly due to funeral poverty and the Neighbourhood Protection Manager described the work carried out by a small team of staff responsible for investigating whether the deceased person had assets, next of kin, a valid will and whether the person had any wishes for their funeral. 

The Neighbourhood Protection Manager explained the crematoria have joint committee arrangements, managed through Durham County Council, Central Durham being a partnership with Spennymoor Town Council and Mountsett, a partnership with Gateshead Borough Council. The crematoria provide a wide variety of services including webcasting, memorialisation and recycling of metals.  The proceeds from the recycling of metals are donated to local death related charities.

The Committee noted that Durham’s fees for cremation and burial are currently below the national average and one of the key challenges for the future is the increase in the amount of people suffering from funeral poverty.  In response, the service has introduced discounted time slots and a lower cost, direct cremation option. The Council is also responsible for 46 open cemeteries and 98 closed churchyards are maintained. Although the number of full burials has reduced, an increasing number of people wish to inter cremated ashes. Demand for burial space is a key challenge and work is ongoing with regard to the provision of future burial space.

Whilst cremation has an initial carbon footprint, it has less environmental impact over the long-term than burial, due to the ongoing maintenance of cemeteries.

Technology is continuing to develop alternatives to burial and flame cremation, including resomation and natural organic reduction and it is expected that the demand for alternative methods will increase in the future.

The officers were thanked for the presentation and questions and comments were invited.

Councillor Adam commented that the increasing number of public health funerals will inevitably impact on staff time and resources in the future.  The Neighbourhood Protection Manager acknowledged that arranging public health funerals can be labour intensive and he clarified that the local authority may recover costs from the estate of a deceased person or from the Crown, when a person dies without a will and no relatives are found. The Bereavement Services Manager confirmed that five public health funerals were being dealt with during that week.

Councillor Adam asked whether the Council linked with neighbouring authorities to address issues such as future burial space and alternative methods of burial and cremation. The Neighbourhood Protection Manager highlighted that joint working exists currently, as Durham’s two crematoria are managed via joint arrangements. However, one of the main considerations is that the majority of people opt to use facilities which are close to their home and therefore Durham’s plans for the future will consider existing provision at key locations, the use of plots with exclusive rights and alternative approaches to interment.  Other local authorities are, currently, not as progressive as Durham in relation to alternative approaches and the Bereavement Services Manager is involved with the national working groups.

In response to a question from Councillor Elmer, the Neighbourhood Protection Manager observed that the information showing comparative carbon emissions associated with the different approaches did not recognise that each site will be different.  Councillor Elmer highlighted the opportunity to generate income from biodiversity net gain through the creation of natural burial sites. The Neighbourhood Protection Manager confirmed that discussions were taking place with the Ecology team and this will be considered within the wider work being undertaken on cemetery space. 

In response to a question from the Chair for clarification as to the definition of plot sizes, the Bereavement Services Manager clarified that half plots and full plots are 4 feet and 9 feet respectively.  Replying to a further question from the Chair, the Bereavement Services Manager explained that consent of the bereaved family is required for the removal of metals for recycling and a small number of families per year request that metals are returned to the family.

Resolved:

The members of the Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the information contained within the report and presentation and commented accordingly. </AI6>

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