Management Policy for Keelby Cemetery
MANAGEMENT POLICY DOCUMENT FOR KEELBY CEMETERY, SOUTH ST. KEELBY LINCOLNSHIRE.
1 INTRODUCTION.
1.1 The purpose of approving a Cemetery Management Policy is to: -
i) To provide clear and unambiguous information to all users and visitors to the Cemetery.
ii) To set out appropriate rules and regulations for the effective implementation of health and safety requirements.
iii) To ensure a safe and aesthetically pleasing appearance of the Cemetery.
at all times, to all users.
iv) To provide for the efficient use of burial space for the future.
2 GENERAL INFORMATION
2.1This information has been prepared in accordance with relevant legislation and recommended Codes of Conduct as prescribed and practiced by the National Professional Bodies, engaged in the Management of Cemeteries,
The Policy will be reviewed and updated periodically in accordance with such legislative changes as may be appropriate from time to time.
2.2 All aspects of this Policy shall apply equally to all persons having appropriate business in the Cemetery i.e.
Visitors.
Bereaved Persons.
Clergy.
Funeral Directors Staff.
Monumental Masons Staff.
All Contractors.
2.3 The Cemetery will be open for pedestrian access at all times, although the Council reserves the right to make such closures as may be necessary for repairs, emergencies or in the interests of public safety.
2.4 The dignity and calm of the cemetery must be respected at all times and dogs must be kept on a lead under proper control.
2.5 The Council will regularly maintain the cemetery gardens, driveways, grassed areas and paths. Bins are provided for the use of visitors and all litter should be placed therein and not in any other part of the Cemetery.
The Council reserves the right to remove any dead floral or Christmas tributes in order to accommodate appropriate ground maintenance. All floral tributed must be placed on the grave and not on surrounding grassed areas, as these will be removed.
2.6 It should be noted that only Rights of Interment are granted and not ownership of the ground upon which a grave or cremated remains are situated.
2.7 The Council provides a water supply, located on the right-hand side of the main access to the Cemetery.
2.8 Should sinkage occur on any grave; the Council will top this up free of charge.
2.9 No trees, shrubs or flowers shall be planted in the Cemetery the Council reserves the right to prune or remove any planted material already existing if, in the opinion of the Council, it has become unsightly, overgrown or is deemed to have an adverse impact upon any grave plot or interferes with the general maintenance of the Cemetery.
2.10 As the burial authority, the Council (as owner and occupier of the site) has a duty under health and safety legislation to do all that is reasonably practical to protect the health and safety of persons who enter the site.
2.11 To identify potential hazards and risks, a monthly informal site inspection will be conducted by the Council and required action taken.
2.12 The Council shall keep the statutory registers and records in relation to burials conducted at the Cemetery. The registers and records are open for inspection, by prior appointment with the Clerk to the Council. An administrative fee of £10 plus £5 for every additional hour, will apply, or any other such sums as the Council may determine periodically.
2.13 This policy is effective from 1st April 2024
3 INTERMENTS - FEES AND PAYMENTS
3.1The fees set out below apply where the person to be interred or in respect of whom the right is granted is (or immediately before death was) a resident of KEELBY Parish, or in the case of a still-born child, where a parent is a resident. Proof of residency will be confirmed by the Electoral Roll.
3.2 SCHEDULE OF CHARGES FOR KEELBY CEMETERY
Description Standard Fees
1 Interment of body above the age of 12years in a standard grave (single and/or double). £500
2 Interment of a body under the age of 12 years in a standard grave. FREE
3 Interment of a still born child. FREE
4 Interment of cremated remains in a new full-size grave. £150
5 I Interment of Cremated Remains in an existing full-size grave (((only permissible when all interments have
taken place.) £150
6 Interment of Cremated Remains in the C.R. Section
£150
7 G Permission to erect and maintain a memorial.
((Headstone only) £150
8 Grant of exclusive Rights of Burial (Reserved Spaces).5years
Renewable every 5years- administration fee. £650
£20
9 Grant of exclusive Right of Burial (Used Space) i.e. second burial. £500
10 Search of Registers in connection with former burials. 1hour
Subsequent hours £20
£20
3.3 All standard fees for burials or interment of Cremated Remains, relate to persons who have a proven residency connection with the village over the previous 12 months or who have had to move away to receive care, having lived in the Village for at least 12 months)
3.4 All fees and charges must be paid by BACS in full to the Clerk to the Council by the date of the interment.
3.5 Exclusive Rights of Burial in Earthen Graves
3.6 If the interment is in a new grave and the bereaved family wish to reserve that grave for a future burial and/or place a memorial upon it, it is necessary to purchase an exclusive right to burial in that grave in accordance with the schedule of fees set out above.
3.7. For the exclusive right of burial in a new grave for one interment or suitable for two interments the maximum period granted will be for 75 years
3.8 For the exclusive right of burial of cremated remains only in a full-size grave the maximum period granted will be for 75 years.
3.9 At the expiration of 75 years or any other such period as agreed by the Parish Council, up to a maximum term of 99 years, application for a renewed period must be made in writing to the Clerk of the Parish Council with the appropriate fee as shall be determined by the Parish Council from time to time.
3.10 Exclusive Rights of Burial in Reserved Spaces
3.11 The exclusive right of burial in a grave space may be purchased for a period of 5 years. at the initial cost of £650 or any other such sum as the Council may determine periodically.
3.12 Any unused and unreserved grave space may be purchased by a resident of the village on the terms outlined in the list of fees.
3.13 At the expiration of the initial period it will be necessary for the applicant to renew the Permit for a further period of 5 years, for which a small administration fee of £20 will be charged. The reasons for renewal are: -
i) to ensure that contact with the family is maintained.
ii) to allow for re-use of the plot in the event of non-renewal.
3.14 Should the Permit holder or his Executors wish to relinquish the plot or transfer permission to another member of the family, due notice in writing must be sent to the Clerk of the Council. No fee will be payable.
3.15 Interment Arrangements
3.16 No interment shall take place without the express permission of the Council. Requests for interment must be made at least three working days prior to the interment to the Clerk to the Council
3.17 The hours of interment shall generally be between 9.30am and 4.00pm, Monday to Friday. Interments will not normally take place at weekends or on public holidays, although Saturday interments will be permitted in special circumstances.
3.18 The Parish Council will consider sympathetically any reasonable application for interment outside the normal hours, where such application is based on religious grounds.
3.19 Burials must take place in the grave space allocated by the Council’s representative.
3.20 Interment of cremated remains will only be permitted in accordance with the following: -
(i) In a designated area of the Cemetery as directed by the Council.
(ii) In existing family grave spaces where all interments have been completed.
4.0 GRAVE DIGGING
4.1 It is the responsibility of the Funeral Director (employed by the bereaved family) to engage the services of the grave digger at their own expense.
4.2 As part of this procedure, the Council requires that the Grave Digger installs appropriate shoring equipment during the excavation to support the ground and prevent collapse, the purpose of which is to protect the health and safety of the grave digger during digging and the mourners, clergy and funeral director’s staff during the interment.
4.3 The Council also requires that, on an annual basis, the Grave Digger provides the Council with a copy of the Public Liability Insurance Certificate and a copy of Safe Working Practice that applies to any work carried out in Keelby Cemetery.
4.4 If, following the excavation of any grave, the grave digger and/or funeral director intends to leave it unattended for any period of time, a temporary barrier must be erected by the grave digger and/or funeral director around the grave or the grave be securely covered, to prevent falls.
4.5 On backfilling the grave, the Council requires that the soil is compacted every six inches in depth by treading, to prevent the need for excessive re-installments.
4.6 The grave shall be left turfed, neat and tidy, with any surplus soil removed to the designated area of the Cemetery and the wreaths and flowers carefully placed.
4.7 As soon as is reasonably and sensitively possible after interment, the grave shall be checked, and flowers removed to enable appropriate ground maintenance/grass cutting to be carried out.
4.8 The Council’s regular grave digger is Mr Ray Johnson of Louth. Contact details are available from Funeral Directors.
5. MONUMENTS, HEADSTONES AND INSCRIPTIONS
5.1 No headstone shall be placed in the Cemetery and no additional inscription shall be made on any memorial without the express permission of the Council, although no charge will be made by the Council for additional inscriptions. Only headstones as prescribed by the Council in 5.20, will be permitted.
5.2 No endorsement or ornamentation, other than the Memorial Mason’s identification and plot number as referred to in 5.26 below, shall be permitted on the reverse side of the headstone.
5.3 If the memorial is in respect of the interment of a body, a period of at least 6 months must elapse between the date of interment and the date of erection of the memorial, to allow for soil compaction.
5.4 There is no such restriction as outlined in 5.3 on a memorial plaque in respect of the interment of cremated remains).
5.5 From 1st May 2010 permissions will be subject to the completion of an application for a Permit to Erect and Maintain a Memorial (a copy of the Permit to Erect and Maintain a Memorial is contained as Appendix 1).and the following fees will be applied in accordance with the schedule of fees: -
5.6 The permit will be granted for an initial period of 10 years and then renewable for each subsequent 5-year period, for which a charge of £20 will be made or any other such sum as determined by the Council periodically.
5.7 When seeking to purchase a Permit to Erect and Maintain a Memorial on behalf of the owner, the prospective permit holder and the Monumental Mason must also complete a Memorial Application Form
5.8 On or before the date on which the memorial is to be erected, the Monumental Mason is to provide a copy of the owner’s guarantee to the Council for its records.
5.9 The named person making this application will be regarded as the owner of the memorial and any relevant change of detail i.e. address etc. should be notified to the Clerk of the Council, in writing as soon as possible to the address below, Janet Milson, Westfield House, Barton Street, Keelby. DN41 8EP
5.10 The following information is also required: - Details of the proposed work, the approximate date that the work will be carried out and confirmation of the length of guarantee that will apply to it (the latter required to calculate the period of the Permit).
5.11 The Council also requires that, on an annual basis, the Monumental Mason provides the Council with a copy of the public liability insurance certificate and a copy of the Monumental Mason’s Safe Working Procedure that applies to the erection of memorials in Keelby Cemetery.
5.12All fees and charges must be paid to the Clerk to the Council within 10 working days of the issue of the Permit. Cheques should be made payable to Keelby Parish Council.
5.13 Following the granting of the Permit, the Monumental Mason must give notice to the Clerk to the Council, of their intention to erect the memorial at least three working days prior to the erection.
5.14 The memorial must be erected on the grave plot allocated by the Council.
5.15 It is the responsibility of the owner to maintain their memorial in a good state of repair. In the event of any such memorial becoming dangerous or defective the Council may, in accordance with the powers and procedures set out in Article 16(2) and Schedule 3 of the Local Authorities Cemetery Order 1977, give notice to the owner requiring them to repair or to remove the memorial.
5.16 The Council recognises that an unstable and thus potentially dangerous memorial may be a very difficult issue for the owner, especially in the case of a recent bereavement. Consequently, the Council will offer advice and guidance as appropriate, in a sensitive and sympathetic manner.
5.17 The owner will be allowed a reasonable time to commission the necessary remedial work, having regard to the level of risk posed by the memorial. If, after the expiration of the notice period given by the Council, the owner has failed to repair or to remove the memorial or if the Council has been unable to trace the owner after it has taken such reasonable steps as it may consider necessary for that purpose, the Council reserves the right to take appropriate action to make the Cemetery safe.
5.18 It should be noted that, if, following an inspection, a memorial is assessed as posing an immediate risk to public safety, the Council will take whatever steps are necessary to eliminate the immediate risk prior to contacting the owner. This may involve the attachment by the Council of a temporary support to the memorial, which can be removed by the Monumental Mason employed by the owner to repair the memorial at the time the repair is undertaken.
5.19 Dimensions & Specification
5.20 No memorial or any other article will be allowed to be erected other than of the following: -
Headstones should not exceed the following dimensions: -
i) a headstone height 27in (67.5cm)
width 21in (52.5cm)
depth 12in (30cm)
+ Base – H3in W36in D18in
ii) a vase height 12in (30cm)
width 12in (30cm)
depth 12in (30cm)
iii) CR Plaque width x depth 18in (45.7cm)
v) CR Headstone Height 20in
Width 24in
Depth 12in
+ Base – H3in W25in D13in
5.21 No free-standing vases will be permitted., all grassed areas must be kept clear.
5.22 Any such headstone is to be of upright construction in suitable stone or granite material and securely fixed to an appropriate concrete foundation.
5.23All work in connection with the Memorial must be carried out in accordance with National Association of Monumental Masons (NAMM) Code of Working Practice and relevant standards as shall be in force at the time of construction.
5.24 For the avoidance of any doubt, an installed headstone must be able to resist a periodic pressure test of 25kg applied horizontally at its apex, using a correctly certified calibrated pressure testing machine.
5.25 The top of the foundation must not protrude above ground level, so as to allow for effective ground maintenance.
5.26 The grave identification number provided to the Monumental Mason by the Council) is to be engraved in small script on the rear of the memorial in a visible position.
5.27 No kerbing shall be erected around the grave plot.
6 INSPECTION AND TESTING
6.1 Under its duty of care to ensure the safety of the Cemetery for users, workers and visitors, the Council requires that all erected memorials are periodically and formally inspected for safety.
6.2 The Council will appoint a suitably qualified Contractor, at the Council’s expense, to carry out a formal inspection every five years. The process will involve a visual assessment of the memorial, followed by a pressure test as indicated in 5.23 above.
6.3 The next full inspection of Keelby Cemetery will be carried out in ….and all reasonable steps will be taken by the Parish Council to notify all Owners of the intention to carry out the test and results of the test will be conveyed to owners. Owners are welcome to attend the test and therefore it is important that the owner keeps the Council informed of any change to their address to enable this invitation to be sent.
6.4 Whilst every effort to trace family will be made by the Council for the purpose of notification of intention to carry out a test, the publication of a public notice will be deemed as satisfactory evidence that such notice has been issued.
6.5 Alternatively, the owner may choose to employ their own Contractor to conduct the inspection, in which case the Council will require a copy of the test certificate from an approved and competent body as evidence that the test has taken place to a pressure of not less than 35kg and that the headstone is safe and in good order.
6.6 If after a period of 28 days following receipt of the notification of intention to carry out the inspection the owner has not done so, the Council reserves the right to arrange for the inspection to be completed and recharge the cost of inspection to the owner.
6.7 The persons performing the inspection will use the results of the inspection and test to assess the risk posed by the headstone, considering the Probability and Impact of a possible collapse and take action accordingly as follows:
6.8 If the monument is considered to be an Immediate Danger to Cemetery visitors or workers, it will be immediately made safe by temporarily supporting it (or, if this is not possible, carefully laying it down on the grave plot). A headstone that fails the pressure test will be classified as an Immediate danger.
6.9 If the monument is not assessed to be an immediate threat it might be regarded as a Potential Danger. In this case the monument will be left in situ, but remedial work will be required.
6.10 If any memorial fails the pressure test and requires the application of an immediate support, a charge will be made to cover this element of cost.
6.11 If remedial work is identified, the Council will, in accordance with the powers and procedures set out in Article 16(2) and Schedule 3 of the Local Authorities Cemetery Order 1977, give notice to the owner requiring them to repair or to remove the memorial.
6.12 If, after the expiration of the notice period given by the Council (such period dependent upon the severity of the problem), the owner has failed to repair or to remove the memorial or if the Council has been unable to trace the owner after it has taken such reasonable steps as it may consider necessary for that purpose, the Council reserves the right to take whatever reasonable steps it regards as appropriate to make the cemetery safe and tidy.
6.13 Extending the Permit Period
6.14 Following the expiration of the initial period of the Permit (as described in 5.6) and if the owner so requests in writing, the Permit may be extended by the Council subject to a safety inspection of the memorial (as described in 5.23 above), the satisfactory repair of any defects found and any other necessary safeguards required by the Council being put into place.
6.15 All aspects of this are at the owner’s cost. The fee for the Permit extension will be confirmed at the time of request.
6.16 If an application to extend the Permit is not received from the owner by the expiration of the initial period, the Council reserves the right to require the memorial to be removed and, in the absence of the owner, reserves the right to organise its removal on their behalf, should the Council so decide that such action is necessary.
7.0 INSURANCE
7.1 It is a requirement that owners of memorials take out appropriate insurance in respect of all future maintenance of their memorials. This can usually be done through the Funeral Director or Memorial Mason at a reasonable cost.