CC February 2023 Minutes
DEEPING ST JAMES PARISH COUNCIL
The Institute, 38 Church Street, Deeping St James, PE6 8EP
E-mail: clerk@dsjpc.co.uk
Tel: 01778 343266
Webpage: //deeping-st-james.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk Facebook: Deeping St James Parish Council
Parish Clerk: Julie Fortnum
The minutes of the Cemetery Committee meeting held on Monday 6th February 2023 at 7.00pm in the meeting room at the Institute.
Present: Councillors Halls, Olson, Shinkins-Hoppe and Thomas.
The Parish Clerk took the meeting notes and completed the Minutes on Wednesday 8 February 2023.
Prior to the meeting Councillor Olson had forwarded a written resignation of the role of Chairperson of this committee to the Parish Clerk and the Chairperson of Deeping St James Parish Council.
The Clerk asked the committee to nominate someone to act as Chairperson at this meeting and the committee agreed that Councillor Shinkins-Hoppe should fulfil this role.
23.24 To receive apologies of absence.
Apologies were received and accepted from Councillor Stevens.
23.25 To receive any declarations of interest.
None declared.
23.26 To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on Thursday 18 October 2022.
Agreed and signed.
23.27 Clerks report.
-1000 Snowdrops have been ordered at a cost of £130 to be planted in the Cemetery and Churchyard.
-A member of the public has approached the Parish Council wishing to donate a memorial bench to be installed in the Cemetery ideally near the cremated remains plot of their late partner. This may not be practical or appropriate, so do the members of this committee have any suggestions or should the Clerk discuss the matter with the Cemetery groundskeeper and the benefactor.
-There have been 3 burials, 2 interments of cremated remains and one cremated remains plot reservation since the Committee last met on 18 October 2022.
-The Cemetery groundskeeper has marked out the plot allocation in the recently extended Cemetery which is now in use with one burial having taken place and another arranged.
-The secure storage unit to be located at in the old Cemetery is due to be delivered in early March 2023 and the area where it will be located has been cleared and a concrete hardstanding has been laid.
-The Cemetery groundskeeper has been booked on a memorial safety and inspection workshop in Littleport Cambridgeshire on Friday 31 March 2023 run by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematoria Management
-The Institute of Cemetery and Crematoria Management’s Charter for the Bereaved was included as an item of correspondence on the December council meeting agenda. At the meeting it was agreed to delegate this to the committee to consider. --The Clerk has forwarded information to all the members for their perusal but on further investigation suggests that this does not need to be pursued by Deeping St James Parish Council
23.28 To receive an update regarding the Cemetery Paths.
The Clerk advised that despite contacting three of the contractors who had provided earlier quotations only one amended quotation was received following the last the alteration to the work required and this was still a significant amount (£23,322). Furthermore, the Parish Council had since agreed not to budget for the works during 2023-24. It was noted that £5,050 was available from Cemetery reserves which the maintenance team could use to remove the 4 gravel paths in the old Cemetery and return them to grass (or possibly slab the one leading to the secure storage unit) and also to relay the existing slabbed path in the new Cemetery. It was acknowledged that due to the delay in a decision being reached as to whether external contractors or the in-house maintenance team should complete this work some of the work may not commence until Autumn 2023.
23.29 To consider investigating allocating an area of the Cemetery as a garden of remembrance for the scattering of ashes.
The committee were all interested in investigating this so the Clerk was asked to obtain some information and guidance on the requirements and practicalities of this from the Institute of Cemetery and Crematoria Management.
23.30 To consider rewilding an area of the old Cemetery.
The committee were agreeable to trying this and suggesting that it should be trialled in two visible areas chosen at the discretion of the maintenance team who would be responsible for looking after the areas.
23.30 To consider removing the fence from round the London Plane in the Old Cemetery and replacing it with a new piece of fencing angled behind the tree.
The committee agreed that the maintenance team should progress this as soon as practicable, working with the Clerk to ensure that the area where the new angled fencing was to be installed did not encroach burial land.
23.31 To consider memorial safety and agree a programme of works.
It was noted that the maintenance team were already proactive in checking memorial safety and making safe or secure any issues they came across. The Cemetery groundskeeper would be attending a memorial safety training and inspection course in Littleport Cambridgeshire run by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematoria Management on 31 March 2023. It was agreed that once this course had been attended a programme of works would be agreed with the maintenance team.
23.32 To note the date of the next meeting – The new meeting schedule would be agreed at the Annual meeting of the Parish Council which will be held on Tuesday 16 May 2023.