CEMETERIES AND CREMATORIUM DEVELOPMENT PLAN – UPDATE NOVEMBER 2007 (Version 11)

ISSUE POSITION AS REPORTED POSITION IN NOVEMBER RECOMMENDED OFFICER IN AUGUST 2005 2007 PRIORITY LEVEL WORK COMPLETED

1. Cemetery Old Jewish section -Replace railings In poor condition. Low to Completed 2006 at cost of Completed PG medium priority. Estimated £4,000 cost £6,000.

- Repair damaged 70 Work already completed in Funded from Streetscene Completed JD vandalised headstones consultation with the Mayor and CPS revenue budgets

2. Acklam cemetery In progress for health and Completed in 2005/6 from Completed. PG roads and path repairs safety reasons - £8,000 revenue budget

3. Cemetery Not reported in 2005 Upgraded in response to Completed long range CCTV anti social behaviour reports JB camera and funded by community safety budget at cost of £14,000.

4. Estimated cost to replace Repaired by ‘HLF’ contractor Completed concrete panel boundary £15,000 at nominal cost during main PG fence restoration contract works Review condition in Long term priority 2010 Poor condition 5. Linthorpe Cemetery £47,000 shortfall reported Completed at cost of Completed JD matched funding for £30,000 from revenue

1 seats and gates in £1.2 budget matched funding as million HLF project the HLF scheme slipped by a full year during negotiations with the HLF to reduce specifications on some schemes to meet the capital budget allocated. The slippage resulted in a revenue budget under spend in Linthorpe Cemetery.

6. Linthorpe Cemetery Serious vandalism Completed with capital Completed CCTV / Jewish Prayer problems. Estimated cost funding. JD / JB Hall £30,000 Work in progress 7. Thorntree RC Work in progress Completed. At cost of Completed PG cemetery water points £5,000

WORK IN PROGRESS

8. Linthorpe Cemetery Estimated cost £50,000. Design drawings and Work expected to be central space – Low to medium priority. options produced. Work to completed by Feb / MF restoration commence Nov 2007 March 2008 (enhancements above HLF priorities.- e.g. £40,000 funding secured seating and (£30,000 landscaping) Env City external landfill tax grant / £10,000 matched revenue) 9. Cemetery gardeners Discussions underway with Achieved. Priority. To balance

2 – Improve standards with Streetscene to extend budget in 2008/9 JD dedicated gardeners and Linthorpe dedicated Dedicated gardener x 3 through fee increase, enhanced specification. gardener approach to deployed to Acklam, as still £21,000 Acklam and Thorntree Thorntree and Linthorpe part pressure in main Cemeteries funded from fee increases revenue budget. Work (£63,000). is funded now from memorial accruals.

10. Cemetery signage Under review. Estimated Signage improved at cost of Medium priority to cost is £20,000 £12,000. continue signage PG Priority given to entrance improvements as signs and cemetery notice revenue budget allows boards

11. Linthorpe Cemetery Funding part secured Additional £9,000 matched Complete by January HLF restoration – signs (£9,000). Part of £1.2 funding raised by 2008 MF and interpretation million restoration project – Middlesbrough Env City contracted commitment. from landfill tax grant. Budget total £18,000

12. Thorntree Main Estimated cost £25,000 - £50,000 capital allocation for Already given priority Cemetery boundary £35,000. selected scheme. by Executive. Improvements (near Supported at Bereavement Muslim section) Services Forum Original approved scheme under review. New Capital bid made for executive decision required an additional £100,000 after consultation with local to raise all boundary JD / AL / community. fences. KG

Separate Executive report required to set

3 out revised programme.

13. Thorntree RC Estimated cost - £25,000 Work in progress. £10,000 Work in progress as Cemetery improvements allocation from capital agreed with Roman programme. Catholic KG representative – almost complete

Boundary fences. Review Medium JD enhancements subject to availability of funding.

14. Headstone safety Estimated 2,700 £261,000 additional Anticipate all work will headstones fall below allocation approved through be completed in March national safety test executive process. 2008. standard 2,950 headstones re-secured in Acklam, Completed Thorntree and Thorntree RC cemeteries by Sept 2007

Approx 350 headstones remaining in Linthorpe and New quotations cemeteries. required for remaining PK 350 headstones under Anticipated total cost is now financial regulations. £310,000. £44,000 shortfall met in 2006 by budget controls throughout public protection teams, which

4 included vacant env health officer and trading standards officer posts.

Possible £5k pressure in 2008/9, subject to new tenders

15. Cremator re-lines x2 Not reported in 2005 HBS are funding as scoped On programme. PG property

16. Construct Ongoing discussions for 4 Scheme costed at approx Progress as a self mausoleum in years £40,000 for 12 interments. financing project in PG partnership with Italian Self funding if 12 deposits 2008 community with taken in advance surrounding infrastructure 17 Tree safety work Limited surveys in Linthorpe Two large trees recently Health and safety Cemetery as part of HLF collapsed in Linthorpe and priority. management plan Pallister Park causing damage, but no person Linthorpe Cemetery injured. Commission tree survey in progress at PG safety surveys from revenue cost of £3,000. budget. North Ormesby Awaiting survey results. Cemetery tree survey commissioned. PG

May require corporate approach across cemeteries / parks and

5 open spaces etc. 18 Crematorium Not reported in 2005 Estimated cost is approx Priority as funeral speaker extension £8,000. To probably fund directors and clergy PG system for large funerals from 2007/8 revenue concerned that to allow people outside budget. mourners cannot fit in chapels to participate the chapels when large congregation turn up at funerals. Complaints received from the public who could not hear the service.

19 Provide a guaranteed Not reported in 2005 Trial service started in Ongoing. weekend burial service summer 2006 in response to Extended trial for JD / KG for the Muslim (and non-availability of another 12 months up Jewish) community with gravediggers on 3 occasions to June 2008. Review on call grave diggers. at weekends. In the first 12 cost effectiveness months, there were 2 within the 2008/09 weekend Muslim burials. budget setting process. There have been only 3 burials at weekends in the previous 12 months. WORK OUTSTANDING

20 Memorial Wall Wall extensions required in Capital bid failed in 2006 High priority for 2008 extensions 2005 and 2008 at cost of to maintain budgeted PG £25,000 each to maintain Extension built at cost of income. £30,000 pa income. £22,000 with revenue under spends in 2006. This will Look to build from

6 last until autumn 2008. increased revenue budget in 2008 / raise fees above inflation. 21 Acklam CCTV Estimated cost £30,000 No progress. Internal audit Medium to long-term extension to cover key Long term priority have recommended that priority. Internal audit PG / JB areas in cemetery CCTV is considered. have recommended that CCTV network is extended. 22. Acklam Cemetery - Poor condition No progress. Further Medium priority. PG southern boundary Long term priority. deterioration has occurred. railings Estimated cost is now Repair and / or replace Estimated cost £22,000 £30,000 as most railing sections are corroded and need to be replaced.

To make capital bid with matched revenue support when funds available

23. Thorntree Cemetery Poor condition No progress Anticipate very basic gates restoration Long term priority restoration work will be KG/JD Estimated cost £15,000 completed from revenue budget at a cost of £1,200 in 2007 or 2008. Estimate completion by March 2008.

24. North Ormesby / St Potential restoration project No progress Longer term priority.

7 Joseph’s Cemetery / subject to feasibility and Possibly commission restoration initiative funding study study in 2009 PG onwards. The infra structure of the cemetery is wearing out. Look at involvement of community offender teams in headstone repairs. 25. Crematorium Estimated cost is £1.56 Consultants report Legal requirement. mercury abatement million to comply with evaluated. High priority. legislation by 2012. Reported to Executive. Crematorium produces a £1 million Expected cost is £1.56 revenue surplus. This million at 2010/11 rates for funds central charges partial (60%) upgrade and and the cemetery £2 million plus for full deficit. upgrade. In addition £40,000 p.a. running costs. Added to medium term financial plan Exec decision made to join JD CAMEO partnership Anticipate partial scheme which will produce upgrading to take JD income from non upgrading place in 2010 - 2012 authorities To establish steering Environmental levy to be group in 2008. added to cremation charges in April 2008 will raise To implement partial

8 £110,000 pa. 60% upgrade option in 2010 onwards (instead of 100% upgrade) on the grounds of affordability and lowest risk option. Keep under review should costs of full upgrade reduce

26. Acklam Chapel of Medium to long term priority New heating system Long-term priority. Remembrance - installed. Immediate needs met. restoration Estimated £40,000 plus Toilet facility improved No other progress To investigate external PG Consultant has costed funding opportunities. options from £30,000 upwards 27. Disability Medium priority Some path extensions Medium term priority Discrimination Act. added. to ensure that graves Individual paths to new Estimated cost was available to meet graves £24,000 over 2005 – 2007 religious / faith PG period. requirements.

Single path to be added to in Complete in 2007/8 Thorntree RC Cemetery in from revenue budget PG 2007/8 at cost of £3k to ensure graves can be used

Path extensions to Acklam Capital bid for Acklam semi circles needed in 2008 Cemetery path infra

9 at cost of £37,000 for structure extension is traditional graves. high priority as running out of consecrated graves.

28. Not reported in 2005 Plans and option analysis High priority. Crematorium car park completed. extension Link road to cemetery was Identified by added to increase parking Anticipated cost is between Bereavement Services JD space capacity but problem £47,000 and £109,000 for Forum and individual not fully resolved immediate / long term funeral directors as a solution (Up to 40 cars priority. Discussed at Bereavement observed parked on grass Services Forum who listed verges and obstructing Capital programme bid this as a top priority. roads at peak periods) submitted

29 Path maintenance Not reported in 2005 No dedicated budget to Long to medium term budget programme progressively maintain and priority. The cemetery repair path infrastructure infra structure is ageing and requires increased maintenance To make capital bid for enhanced longer term Capital bid. Liase with PG maintenance plan 2008 – HBS re scoped paths 2010 at £25,000 pa in crematorium grounds 30. 3,000 additional Not reported in 2005, other In discussions with Medium term priority graves / cemetery than discussions about Streetscene who provide extensions to maintain dedicated gardeners grounds maintenance Increase fees in 2008 JD with no extra funding service. by an extra £7k to fund

10 over the last 15 years enhanced work on rose lanes.

Service pressure created as Discuss in monthly PG more land to maintain from meetings with same resource level Streetscene to . priorities

31 Thorntree RC Not reported in 2005 Fence in poor condition Medium term priority. PG cemetery fence adjoining Linked to anti social Will require repair / Erimus site behaviour reports renewal, but monitor Anticipated cost £25,000 development of adjoining site.

32 CCTV - broader Partly reported in 2005, Internal audit Long to medium coverage in cemeteries recommendation is to priority. Internal Audit extend network in response report. JD / JB to anti social behaviour / thefts from graves etc

Minimum starting cost is £50,000 Thorntree, Keep under review £50,000 Acklam, £80,000 Linthorpe ; plus annual running costs of £9k per cemetery

33. Linthorpe Cemetery Plan under development in Restoration work expected Maintenance budget HLF 10 year 2005. Required as part of to be completed in Feb 2008 to be increased by PG / MF Maintenance Plan £596,000 Heritage Lottery another £4,000 in

11 grant conditions 2008/9 to preserve assets. Increases fees to fund this. 34. North Ormesby Not reported Structural survey High priority. Health Cemetery walls. Partial commissioned. and safety report collapse and stability obtained. RW / JD problems 19 metres of wall collapsed Capital bid made. and another 40 metres needs rebuilding urgently Works in progress - £17,000 excluding fees and contingencies. (started with revenue budget code as urgent).

Structural engineers report received showing that other parts of the wall are unstable. Likely cost is £140k.

INCOME STRATEGY ADDITIONAL £80,000 P.A. PRIORITY IS TO 2008/9. RAISE ‘MAIN’ CONTRIBUTE TO / JD FEES BY APPROX 6.5% MAINTAIN BETTER ABOVE INFLATION / GROUND CONSULT BS FORUM MAINTENANCE ON SPECIFIC FEES. SPECIFICATIONS, MEMORIAL WALL

12 IN ADDITION, APPLY A EXTENSION AND £30 ENVIRONMENTAL LINTHORPE SUSCHARGE IN 2008 CEMETERY ‘HLF’ 10 TO MAIN CREMATION YEAR FEE AS AGEED BY MAINTENANCE EXECUTIVE PLAN

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