Agenda item

To receive a Motion on Columbaria in Flintshire managed cemeteries – Environmentally friendly bereavement services

That recommendations and minutes of the meeting to be forwarded to Cabinet.

The Chair invited Councillor Swash as mover of this motion to speak.  

            Councillor Swash explained that, whilst this motion was specifically concerning Columbaria, the issue of dealing with human remains was a pressing one.  Traditional burials were an inefficient way of storing human remains, with built up urban communities experiencing problems for a long time and that this was now beginning to affect Flintshire. 

The motion outlined several potential benefits with using Columbaria at Flintshire managed cemeteries and he focussed on the environmental benefits which was critical because of the lack of burial spaces at our popular cemeteries.  The burial of human remains was carbon intensive and took up vast sways of green space which could be better utilised.  He outlined the types of land which would be unsuitable to be used for burials saying as Columbaria was an above ground piece of architecture which used less space it was more versatile in terms of the land upon which it could be built. 

Land used for traditional burials could not be utilised for other purposes in the long term as very few developers were interested in building on land made up of human remains.  When land was allocated for potential cemeteries, it had to be understood that it was unlikely to be used for anything else.  The costs of maintaining cemeteries were high with many older cemeteries left in a state of disrepair with volunteers looking after them.  Columbaria were already present in many cemeteries in the UK, and he provided information on the popular site in Northwich, extending the life of that cemetery.  Referring to Resomation he said it was a different way of dealing with human remains and was included for the Environment & Economy Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet to explore its potential as a longer-term option.

            This was seconded by Councillor Rose who said land use was an important part of the Committee’s work and this motion focused on land use and space taken up.  Burial grounds could be required for building as there was a shortage of land which would be needed for the future.  He was pleased that Resomation could be considered as an option and that Flintshire now had the option of woodland burials.  Providing more options to people was not only better for them but also for land use and the environment.

            Councillor Eastwood sought clarification on where the information on the shortage of space in cemeteries had been obtained, where was the officer report and who could she ask questions to.  In relation to Columbaria, she asked what the costs and resources implications were and asked if there was a demand for this in Flintshire in comparison with other local authorities.  Referring to woodland burials she asked how this impacted on biodiversity within those woodland and meadow lands.  She appreciated the amount of work Councillor Swash had put into the motion but felt officer representatives should be available to answer questions.

            The Programme Manager explained that Flintshire’s Bereavement Team regularly monitored the available burial space to ensure its capacity was suitable to meet demand.  Work was currently being undertaken at Hawarden and Buckley Cemeteries with both having approximately four years remaining at current usage rates, with Bagillt having 16 years remaining.  A report on cemetery capacity would be presented to Cabinet in February 2023. 

The national trend was 75% cremation to 25% burial but Flintshire’s trend remained at 70% burial to 30% cremation and those trends were regularly monitored and analysed by Flintshire’s Bereavement Services but there was no indication that demand was likely to change.  She explained that Columbaria had a smaller footprint for a larger number of cremated remains to be stored but were not widely used within cemetery settings in Wales.  She explained that whilst consideration could be given to Columbaria utilising space within cemetery settings, this would incur capital expenditure for the purchase of the structure and infrastructure costs for its installation. 

Flintshire currently offered a wide range of options including traditional burial, natural burial, cremated remains, scattering and a garden of remembrance but consideration could also be given to Columbaria.  The introduction would not reduce the lack of burial spaces and if the trend did not change pressure would continue for the supply of burial grounds. 

Referring to the resolutions she said the use of Columbaria could be used for the above ground storage of remains in Flintshire and could be considered as part of the extension plans for Hawarden cemetery, which was Flintshire’s main cemetery, and that the potential usage could be gauged before any further roll out.   Referring to the second option she said Resomation was a more environmentally friendly option and currently used in the USA but few local authorities in the UK had started to consider the process.  Because of the necessary permits and permissions to run such an operation this option was a few years away.  Flintshire could consider this through the work undertaken as part of the APSE Cemetery and Crematorium Network Group, but significant investment was required.  Should the long-term option be to use Resomation, that would secure income for the Council.

            Councillor Swash said he felt a lot of the questions raised by Councillor Eastwood had been answered.  He concurred with the option for the Council securing income should Resomation be used and he felt there was an opportunity for Flintshire to lead in that area.  It was inevitable that the county would run out of burial space and by not dealing with it now would only make the problem worse in the future. 

On being put to the vote the motion was carried.

Flintshire County Council Climate Change Committee resolved:

1.      To recommend to Cabinet and the Environment & Economy Scrutiny Committee that Flintshire County Council offer Columbaria as an option for residents as part of its suite of bereavement and burial services

2.      To recommend to Cabinet and the Environment & Economy Scrutiny Committee that Flintshire County Council explore the viability of offering other environmentally friendly burial options, such as Resomation, in the longer term

RESOLVED:

That recommendations and minutes of the meeting to be forwarded to Cabinet.