Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

NOTED               that no intention to record the meeting was declared apart from through the usual web platforms.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 3 October 2022 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The report provided an update on staffing and the current operation of the Crematorium.

The Crematorium and Cemeteries Manager and Registrar presented the report highlighting the staffing, cremator and ancillary equipment, charitable donations, first aid update, project update, energy efficiency, funeral poverty initiative and cremation data.

AGREED      (unanimously) that:

i)          Members noted the report.

ii)         Members reviewed their nomination of each districts nominated charity and agreed a review period of three years.

iii)       Members agreed to the purchase of a defibrillator.

The report showed the forecasted year end position for the 2022/2023 financial year for the Mansfield Crematorium as at 30 September 2022.

The Head of Finance for Mansfield District Council gave an overview of the report to the members of the Committee.

AGREED      (unanimously) that:

i)          the financial information provided in Appendix 1, Table 1 and Table 2 is for noting only.

The report provided the proposed fees and charges to be introduced from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

The Committee discussed the percentage options increase for the cremation fees, wanting to be comparable with other crematoriums.

The types of cremation fees listed in Appendix 1, include only the types of cremation in demand. These still include the option to have either a peak, off peak, weekend or direct cremation.

AGREED      (unanimously) that:

i)          the proposed cremation fee as shown in Table 2 for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 be approved.  The fee proposed for 2023/2024 is £923, which is an increase of £65 (7.5%) on the 2022/2023 standard cremation fee.  The medical referee fee £18.50 will be added to these proposed standard cremation fees.

ii)         the proposed standard cremation fees as shown in Table 2 for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 be approved in principle.  The standard cremation fees proposed are: 2024/2025 £969 and for 2025/2026 £1,017, being an increase of 5% in both years.  The medical referee fee £18.50 will be added to these proposed cremation fees.

iii)       the proposed fees and charges for 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, as set out in Appendix 1 be approved.

The report provided the revenue and capital budgets for 2023/2024 and the proposals for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026.

Table 1 in the report summarised the revenue budget information provided in more detail at Appendix 1.

AGREED      (unanimously) that:

i)          the proposed revenue and capital budgets for 2023/2024 be approved, as per Appendix 1.

ii)         the proposed revenue and capital budgets for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 be approved in principle, as per Appendix 1.

iii)       in 2023/2024 an annual surplus of £875,386 be approved.

iv)       in 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 an annual surplus of £875,000 and £742,075 respectively be approved in principle.

The Members noted the Committee Work Programme.

Monday, 27 February 2023 at 10 am, to be held at Newark & Sherwood District Council Offices.

That, under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Agreed (unanimously) that under section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Committee resolved that under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of this item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Act and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

It is considered that the need to treat the information in this report as exempt outweighs the public interest in disclosure because of potential to prejudice the commercial interests of the contractor, if the financial details were to be put into the public domain thereby becoming available to competitors.