Cemetery fees updated
Fees for the three cemeteries in the St Albans District are being updated to take account of the needs of residents.
The new charges follow a review of current and future use of the cemeteries at London Road and Hatfield Road, St Albans, and Westfield Road, Harpenden.
St Albans City and District Council manages the cemeteries where local residents and those from outside the area may be buried.
An analysis of fees revealed they were considerably less than those of neighbouring local authorities and did not cover the Council’s costs.
Non-residents’ fees – which are generally higher than residents’ - were the lowest in Hertfordshire.
It is often less expensive for non-residents to be buried in St Albans or Harpenden than it is for them to be buried in their own district.
As a consequence, there is a high demand for the service from north London as well as other parts of the County. That is not sustainable given the limited amount of burial space available.
Fees for residents will now be increased by around double to cover the cost of maintenance over the 100-year term.
The rises will ensure the service is no longer run at a loss. The deficit for 2017/18 would be in excess of £100,000 without a fee rise.
Charges for non-residents will be set at three times that of residents, instead of two times as it is at present. This is to reduce the demand and aligns with the practice of other councils.
It is intended that the changes will ensure there will be sufficient space for residents’ needs for many years to come.
The increases were outlined to a meeting of the Council’s Cabinet on Thursday 21 December and will come into effect on Monday 1 February 2018.
Cabinet was also told that a number of projects were being considered to improve the Council’s cemetery service.
These included extending the existing cemeteries and establishing new gardens of rest within them to provide more areas for the burial of ashes. A plan to create a mausoleum was also being looked at.
Councillor Beric Read, Portfolio Holder for Business and the Community, said: “This is a comprehensive review of the fee structure at our cemeteries.
“The rises are necessary to meet our commitment to running a cost-neutral service for the benefit of all resides.
“It is clear changes are needed to bring us into step with other local authorities and to meet the future capacity requirements of our own residents. Allowing our cemeteries to fill with non-residents due to our low cost is counter-productive to our own needs.
“Our cemetery staff are also looking longer term into further improvements to the cemeteries to deal with future trends.”
Papers for the meeting including details of the charges are available here: bit.ly/2ArYaPi
Picture: Hatfield Road Cemetery entrance.
Councillor contact:
Councillor Beric Read, Portfolio Holder for Business and the Community for St Albans City and District Council.
Tel: 07956 220264; email: Cllr.B.Read@stalbans.gov.uk
Contact for the media:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City & District Council
Tel: 01727 296130; email: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk