Issue - meetings

Following a motion to the 13 January 2026 committee meeting, this report presents the outcome of a review of burial service provision within the district, specifically to consider whether same-day, 24-hour, weekend and out-of-hours burials could be facilitated where required by faith communities.

Recommendation:

That the Committee:

1.       notes the findings of the review into burial service provision;

2.       notes the findings of the public engagement exercise undertaken through the Have Your Say Three Rivers platform;

3.       notes the findings of the benchmarking exercise undertaken with neighbouring authorities;

4.       notes the operational, staffing, cemetery capacity and health and safety constraints affecting burial provision at Woodcock Hill Cemetery;

5.       supports the continuation of the current burial service arrangements whilst officers continue to work with funeral directors, faith leaders and bereaved families to accommodate burial requests wherever reasonably practicable; and

6.       notes that any future enhancement to service provision, including routine weekend, same-day or out-of-hours burials, would require additional staffing resources, revised operational arrangements and consideration through the Council's budget-setting process.