CC January 2025 Minutes
The minutes of the Cemetery Committee meeting which was held on Tuesday 7 January 2025 at 7.00pm in the meeting at the Institute.
Present: Councillors Halls, Hosking, Shinkins-Hoppe, Stevens and Townsin
The minutes were taken by the Parish Clerk
25.21 To receive apologies of absence.
All present.
25.22 To receive any declarations of interest.
None declared.
25.23 To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on Tuesday 3 September 2024.
Agreed and signed.
25.24 Clerks report.
Since the last meeting on 3 September 2024 there have been three interments of cremated remains and one burial with a reservation for the partner. A further burial is booked to take place on Tuesday 31 December 2024
25.25 To receive an update about the relaying of the slabbed footpaths in section E laying of a footpath in the recently extended section of the Cemetery (section F).
It was noted that the contractor was scheduled to relay the paved footpath in sections D and E of the Cemetery during January 2025. The Clerk will contact the contractor to confirm the start date.
A new path, in the recently extended area of the Cemetery (section F), is to be laid by the same contractor in April 2025
25.26 To consider the current Cemetery regulations
a) regarding headstone materials (natural and manmade) and graveside memorabilia following an article in a local newspaper advising that a local company is to offer graveside products adorned with Swarovski crystals and glass inlays
Following consideration, the committee agreed that the wording in the Cemetery regulations which reads
“To adhere to current health and safety regulations, the only types of memorial permitted are a stone headstone, tablet, or a vase block. Artificial stone, ceramic or acrylic plastic is excluded as it will not stand the weather conditions”
adequately covered the materials allowed and that the Parish Clerk should continue to use these regulations to guide approval of memorial requests.
b) regarding graveside memorabilia following a noticeable increase in ornamentation made from glass ceramic plastic and fabric materials being placed on a number of graves
It was agreed that the Clerk should issue a communication to any memorial owners who had graveside memorabilia of this kind acknowledging the work they were doing in looking after the memorial and grave, drawing attention to the Cemetery regulations and requesting they be followed.
25.28 To consider several recent pieces of correspondence about grass cuttings and mud being left on memorials following cutting /strimming and agree a way forward to avoid this.
The committee felt that the email responses that the Clerk had issued provided a satisfactory explanation (weather conditions and time constraints of workforce) and that they should be the given response used for any future incidences.
25.29. To receive an update regarding the application to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is being administered by SKDC, towards the Cemetery biodiversity project
Councillor Stevens confirmed that the application had been submitted and SKDC had acknowledged it as likely to be approved however this had not yet been confirmed. The Committee agreed that the hedging should be ordered ahead of the grant funding being released as this was the ideal time to plant hedging plants.
Councillor Stevens advised that the wildflower corners would be planted in March 2025 by which time she was confident the grant funding would have been received.
It was RESOLVED to move into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 due to the confidential nature of the business to be discussed in relation to the following matter.
24.30 To receive an update about the request for exhumation following the burial in a grave reserved for another and the Freedom of Information requests which have been received that relate to this.
The Clerk provided an update regarding the application to the Ministry of Justice for a licence to exhume human remains and the freedom of information requests that had been received along with the responses that had been issued.
The committee requested that the Clerk contact the Ministry of Justice to obtain a progress report on the application which had been forwarded to them on 30 September 2024
If required, to RESOLVE to move of out of closed session.
25.31 To note the date of the next meeting – Date to be agreed at the Annual Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 20 May 2025