MenuMinutes of Amble Town Council Cemeteries Management Committee Meeting held on Thursday 15th March 2012 at 6.30pm in the Town Council Office.
1. PRESENT: Councillors Weir (Vice-chairman), Palin, Mrs Dargue and Mrs Lewis together with the Clerk.
2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Cllr Bilboe – Illness, Cllr Hinson – other commitment, these were proposed for acceptance by Cllr Mrs Lewis, seconded by Cllr Weir and agreed.
- 3. DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS: None
4. CLERKS REPORT:
4.1: Memorial Wall dedication ceremony took place, well attended.
4.2: Manual handling courses being investigated.
4.3: 3 x pallets of random stone used (1.5 for Memorial wall, remaining to create new borders for the plant bed opposite the Office, behind the office and in front of office).
4.4: Operative refused fuel at garage, new account cards available, Clerk to request paperwork.
Agenda Items from Clerks Report:
- Random Stone budget allocation – The Clerk explained that as 1.5 pallets of random stone had been used on the Memorial Wall which would come out of the West Cemetery Development budget, the remaining cost of 1.5 would have to come out of another budget head. Cllr Mrs Lewis proposed the Clerk determine which budget to allocate this to based on spend to date. This was seconded by Cllr Dargue and agreed.
5. VISITOR’S BOOK AND TIMESHEETS:
5.1: The Superintendent’s Futures Report was presented for inspection by the Members.
5.2: The time sheets was available for inspection
5.3: The Visitor’s Book was available for inspection at the office from Thursday afternoon.
6 Member’s Comments on the Future Report, Visitor’s Book, Timesheets and the condition of the Cemetery:
For more accurate documentation recording and verification, Cllr Mrs Lewis proposed a tradesman book be created so that the Operatives could keep track of the visits to the Cemetery made by Masons and deliveries/returns; the tradesmen being required to sign to verify the book on their visits. This was seconded by Cllr Mrs Dargue and agreed.
The grave digging reports were views as a work in progress, it was noted that both men marked out a grave, Cllr Weir suggested constructing a template of the standard plot size to save manpower on this. The Clerk would ask the Operatives if they felt this would help with making the task more efficient and would inform this was the first review of the report and further reviews would take place in the future.
7. COMMUNICATIONS:
Cllr Mrs Dargue had received a complaint from a resident regarding 3 graves in the West Cemetery, headstones being ‘trashed’, flowers being ripped up and ornaments being broken. Cllr Mrs Lewis proposed a sympathetic response be sent after the area had been checked for conformity and a reminder of the rules regarding ornaments and the specified space in front of headstones. The letter would also inform that the Operatives would be requested to keep check on graves for vandalism. They would be asked to carry out a review of all graves regarding conformity to the rules regarding grave space usage. The Clerk to follow up any which did not do so.
8. AGENDA ITEMS:
8.1: Natural burials – Confirmation of details
Grave spaces area would be 8ft x 4ft on the proposal of Cllr Mrs Lewis, seconded by Cllr Mrs Dargue and agreed.
From the border with Gloster Hill a small area of 5 interments by 3 would be covered to create a copse, (see diagram below) this was proposed by Cllr Mrs Lewis, seconded by Cllr Weir and agreed.
| Gloster Hill Fence Boundary (grass maintenance access path)
——–<8ft> —— (grave) (grave) (grave) T | (grave) (grave) (grave) R s | (grave space) (grave) (grave) (grave) E e 4ft (grave) (grave) (grave) E c | (grave) (grave) (grave) t | (grass path) L i Section ‘P’ I o N n E N |
To discourage grass and encourage shrub growth, the grass will be removed from the grave space and sods buried grass face down in plot following interments. Wildflower ground cover would be scattered after completion. This was proposed by Cllr Weir, seconded by Cllr Dargue and agreed.
As we do not want the shrubs to grow over 2 metres in order to maximise land usage and for ease of maintenance the species offered would need to be reconsidered. Cllr Mrs Lewis proposed this be delegated to the Clerk with the Vice Chairman of the Cemeteries Management Commitee, this was seconded by Cllr Dargue and agreed.
A grass path wide enough for the large John Deere to access would be left surrounding each copse for ease of future maintenance/walk throughs/interments.
The decision regarding individual species of shrub will be made by the Cemeteries Management Committee to ensure variety and the family of the deceased would not be invited to be physically involved in the planting of these. This was proposed by Cllr Weir, seconded by Cllr Mrs Lewis and agreed.
8.2: Natural Burials Leaflet, content and production – The Clerk would circulate the content to all members for comments/changes to be returned by 26th March, the Clerk, Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Cemeteries Management Committee were delegated to agree to final draft and arrange printing on the proposal of Cllr Mrs Lewis and Cllr Palin. Copies would be sent to funeral directors, media and solicitors.
8.3: The purchasing of previously un-purchased half plots – It was proposed by Cllr Weir that purchase should be allowed at the price of cremated remains plots, this was seconded by Cllr Mrs Lewis and agreed.
8.4: Consideration of a review of past grave spaces – The Clerk suggested a future review of grave spaces as it appeared that many had been reserved and not purchased or purchased and not used with the deeds having expired. Cllr Mrs Lewis suggested this be deferred to the September meeting of the Cemeteries Management Committee to give the staff time to ascertain suitability of grave spaces for interments and a working party could then be delegated. This was agreed.
8.5: East Cemetery Memorials – An audit of the memorials in the East Cemetery should be carried out by the Operatives to establish how many are unsafe. Enquiries would be made to Memorial Mason with lifting equipment for laying flat the older larger unwieldy memorials.
9. INFORMATION ITEMS:
9.1: The Journal – Spring 2012
10. DATE & TIME OF NEXT MEETING: The next Meeting is scheduled to be held on Thursday 19th April 2012 at 6.30 p.m. in the Council Office, The Quayside
Following acceptance of the adoption of Section 100a (4) of the Local Government Act the remainder of the Meeting will be held in Private on the proposal of Cllr Weir, seconded by Cllr Palin and agreed.
Public/Private
P01. Survey of West Cemetery extension – only one quote had been received to date. Cllr Mrs Lewis suggested names of other surveyors who may also be able to provide further quotes in order to meet the needs of the Burial Law Regulations. The meeting closed at 7.41pm