Care & Maintenance
Mounting concerns have been expressed in recent years by members of the public about the state of cemeteries and standards of maintenance. Cemeteries have become unsafe, littered, vandalised and unkempt making cemeteries a blight on the community in which it is located. Communities have felt the cemeteries have been neglected and they have been unable to do anything about it. The state of cemeteries is seen as a shame on society for their lack of respect shown to the dead and to the bereaved. Besides issues over repair and maintenance, part of the reason for this has to be wear and tear on the fabric of the cemetery and its structures, coupled with expectations for higher standards of service in today’s world.
Responsibility for care and maintenance for the Church of England graveyards and churchyards that are closed for burials and the four City Cemeteries has fallen to Leicester City Council. The City Council have done their utmost to keep these places open to the public year round and quickly addressed concerns raised by users and community residents. The issue of maintenance will always be an ongoing one as with any open space, there is a need for a pleasant, safe and tidy environment for all users to benefit from.
Under current arrangements, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain cemeteries in a fashion fit and proper for the needs of the bereaved, and many are being left to fall into decay and neglect especially once burials have concluded at the cemetery. The ever increasing cost of the perpetual maintenance of graves risks raising the costs to unacceptable levels and so legislation was brought in which restricted burials to a limit of 100 years. After which in theory, graves could be reused.
When a grave is provided, two fees are raised. The first fee is the Exclusive Right of Burial which is approximately 54% of the cost and the second is the internment fee. Leicester City Council is committed not only to dig and refill the grave but to maintain the grave and the cemetery for the period of term as set out in the Exclusive Right of Burial, which is 99 years. That means divided over 99 years, only a small fraction of funds per year are directly attributed to the maintenance of the grave and the cemetery. The public demand ever higher standards of the provision and maintenance of cemeteries and the fee that we pay, literally being a few pounds is minimal in terms of the service we expect from our authority.
The problem of how to ensure the long term economic viability of cemeteries is a difficult one as the fees and charges for burial rarely reflect what is necessary to keep a grave and its surroundings in good order for any long period. The problem local authorities face is to keep burials affordable enough for people of average means can still intern their loved ones without facing fees that make them beyond the reach of all but the wealthy.
In the absence of a commitment by the central Government to the long term funding of cemetery maintenance, it is difficult to see how cemeteries can be economically viable other than to ensure that fees and charges are set at a more realistic level. The choice is stark, either burial becomes the exclusive preserve of the rich or the local authority keep fees as they are and as cemeteries fill up and close for burials as all the available land has been exhausted, then these cemeteries become a blight on local communities in which they are located in as funds are not available for their continued maintenance.
At a time when cemeteries are operating under tight budgetary constraints, there just isn't enough money to fund improvements. Although the burial services and the upkeep of the cemeteries is a direct cost to the City Council, all the cemeteries and churchyards remain viable due to the income generated from the Crematorium which subsidies these maintenance expenses along with general council funds. A budgetary deficit has developed over a number of years as cemeteries are finding it difficult to cut costs but still maintain these cemeteries to a standard that is accepted by the community. There is now increasing pressure for cemeteries to pay their own way and this has led to much needed funds being used in areas such as keeping certain libraries or community schemes open. For this reason, users of the cemetery have witnessed the condition of neat lawns and well maintained shrubs and bushes coming into question.
We are in the midst of the most severe government cutbacks in living memory and we are not over these austere times just yet. Since the current spending cuts started, the City Council have had to reduce their annual running costs by £75 million and further savings of £50 million are needed by 2017. The City Councils budget is to run all services from libraries, parks, roads, museums, street lighting, sports facilities, refuse disposal and street cleaning. This means 20% of the councils budget has already been cut and a further 17% is expected.
People have raised expectations and expect to see these sensitive areas maintained to a very high standard especially after comparisons are made with privately run cemeteries where a higher standard of maintenance is specified. This is only possible due to higher fees being specified and strict conditions on grave furniture and the planting of trees and shrubs on graves.
The cemeteries in Leicester are open to the public all year round and there is legislation that govern burials that must be upheld and procedures in place that dictate standards in respect to the health and safety of the public. The City Council are also members of bodies and authorities which have strict codes of conduct that must also be adhered to.
The Institute of Burial and Cremation Administration has produced a 'Charter for the Bereaved'. In order to become a member of the Charter, burial authorities must show that they are able to meet thirty-three basic standards connected with funeral provision. The Charter also contains objectives for burial service provision, and helps authorities to set priorities for future development. In our case, the City Council has adopted the Charter and committed to providing excellent service. The IBCA has also developed an Assessment Process which authorities can use to help prove that they are providing Best Value, and to use in conjunction with the Charter to form plans for improving the service.
Another body that is dedicated to best practise in cemetery maintenance and management is the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management. An award is presented to cemeteries that can demonstrate a proper respect for the rights of the bereaved with regard to grave choice, cremation procedures, monuments, ceremonies and maintenance of graves to name but a few.
Responsibility for care and maintenance for the Church of England graveyards and churchyards that are closed for burials and the four City Cemeteries has fallen to Leicester City Council. The City Council have done their utmost to keep these places open to the public year round and quickly addressed concerns raised by users and community residents. The issue of maintenance will always be an ongoing one as with any open space, there is a need for a pleasant, safe and tidy environment for all users to benefit from.
Under current arrangements, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain cemeteries in a fashion fit and proper for the needs of the bereaved, and many are being left to fall into decay and neglect especially once burials have concluded at the cemetery. The ever increasing cost of the perpetual maintenance of graves risks raising the costs to unacceptable levels and so legislation was brought in which restricted burials to a limit of 100 years. After which in theory, graves could be reused.
When a grave is provided, two fees are raised. The first fee is the Exclusive Right of Burial which is approximately 54% of the cost and the second is the internment fee. Leicester City Council is committed not only to dig and refill the grave but to maintain the grave and the cemetery for the period of term as set out in the Exclusive Right of Burial, which is 99 years. That means divided over 99 years, only a small fraction of funds per year are directly attributed to the maintenance of the grave and the cemetery. The public demand ever higher standards of the provision and maintenance of cemeteries and the fee that we pay, literally being a few pounds is minimal in terms of the service we expect from our authority.
The problem of how to ensure the long term economic viability of cemeteries is a difficult one as the fees and charges for burial rarely reflect what is necessary to keep a grave and its surroundings in good order for any long period. The problem local authorities face is to keep burials affordable enough for people of average means can still intern their loved ones without facing fees that make them beyond the reach of all but the wealthy.
In the absence of a commitment by the central Government to the long term funding of cemetery maintenance, it is difficult to see how cemeteries can be economically viable other than to ensure that fees and charges are set at a more realistic level. The choice is stark, either burial becomes the exclusive preserve of the rich or the local authority keep fees as they are and as cemeteries fill up and close for burials as all the available land has been exhausted, then these cemeteries become a blight on local communities in which they are located in as funds are not available for their continued maintenance.
At a time when cemeteries are operating under tight budgetary constraints, there just isn't enough money to fund improvements. Although the burial services and the upkeep of the cemeteries is a direct cost to the City Council, all the cemeteries and churchyards remain viable due to the income generated from the Crematorium which subsidies these maintenance expenses along with general council funds. A budgetary deficit has developed over a number of years as cemeteries are finding it difficult to cut costs but still maintain these cemeteries to a standard that is accepted by the community. There is now increasing pressure for cemeteries to pay their own way and this has led to much needed funds being used in areas such as keeping certain libraries or community schemes open. For this reason, users of the cemetery have witnessed the condition of neat lawns and well maintained shrubs and bushes coming into question.
We are in the midst of the most severe government cutbacks in living memory and we are not over these austere times just yet. Since the current spending cuts started, the City Council have had to reduce their annual running costs by £75 million and further savings of £50 million are needed by 2017. The City Councils budget is to run all services from libraries, parks, roads, museums, street lighting, sports facilities, refuse disposal and street cleaning. This means 20% of the councils budget has already been cut and a further 17% is expected.
People have raised expectations and expect to see these sensitive areas maintained to a very high standard especially after comparisons are made with privately run cemeteries where a higher standard of maintenance is specified. This is only possible due to higher fees being specified and strict conditions on grave furniture and the planting of trees and shrubs on graves.
The cemeteries in Leicester are open to the public all year round and there is legislation that govern burials that must be upheld and procedures in place that dictate standards in respect to the health and safety of the public. The City Council are also members of bodies and authorities which have strict codes of conduct that must also be adhered to.
The Institute of Burial and Cremation Administration has produced a 'Charter for the Bereaved'. In order to become a member of the Charter, burial authorities must show that they are able to meet thirty-three basic standards connected with funeral provision. The Charter also contains objectives for burial service provision, and helps authorities to set priorities for future development. In our case, the City Council has adopted the Charter and committed to providing excellent service. The IBCA has also developed an Assessment Process which authorities can use to help prove that they are providing Best Value, and to use in conjunction with the Charter to form plans for improving the service.
Another body that is dedicated to best practise in cemetery maintenance and management is the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management. An award is presented to cemeteries that can demonstrate a proper respect for the rights of the bereaved with regard to grave choice, cremation procedures, monuments, ceremonies and maintenance of graves to name but a few.