Agenda item

Purpose of Report

To update the Executive on the outline concept stage design work to enhance the facilities at Lincoln Crematorium and seek approval to progress the next stage of work to finalise these designs and crystallise the level of capital investment required.

Decision

That the Executive:

(1)       Approves to sanction a further budget in 2019/20 of up to £210,000 for design work, survey work and professional fees to conclude RIBA stage 4 to be funded from existing revenue budgets and earmarked reserves.

(2)       Approves the submission of relevant planning permissions as landowner.

(3)       Approves the purchase of a new software package as proposed and to allocate £20,000 in the General Investment Programme, funded from the strategic priorities reserve.

 
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Other options considered were set out in paragraph 9.1 of the report.

Reason for Decision

The report set out a strategy for maintaining the high standards of service the Lincoln Crematorium offered residents of the city and surrounding areas, and for growing the service to meet developing customer needs both now and for the future. The strategy consisted of three strands, as follows:

·         options for capital investment in the existing crematorium site to enable it to continue to maintain its unique compassionate and professional offer and to increase its capacity to meet the future demands of a fast growing city and surrounding area;

·         pursue options for the development of new service offerings, some of which would be the subject of a further detailed report in the spring of 2019;

·         continued discussions with funeral directors to explore joint relationships, ensuring that the Council could continue to deliver their requirements now and in the future so that together it could continue to deliver exactly what its service users needed at such a difficult emotional time for them.

Lincoln Crematorium had completed investment to improve the seating capacity of the chapel and improve the front of house experience for the bereaved. This enabled the Council to continue to meet service users’ expectations and those of funeral directors by improving the internal facilities in the public areas. Further to this investment, the City Council now needed to consider the less visible but equally important aspects of the back room workings of the Crematorium, as well as some new additional external facilities of direct benefit to service users.

The two existing cremators were approaching an age where they needed to be replaced as part of prudent asset management. Additionally, it was proposed that a new extended area of permanent parking was developed on the area of ground behind the existing car park, leaving the current overflow as additional parking for occasional use when needed. This would enhance the Council’s service provision to match the demand for the increasingly larger number of mourners attending some funerals.

Regarding the proposed next phase of investment in the crematorium service, the Council had engaged the services of an architect, landscape architect and quantity surveyor for the design and cost options in respect of the various refurbishments. Some of their concept visuals were set out in Appendix A of the report. Proposed improvements to the crematorium facility and aesthetic improvements were set out in paragraphs 4.1 and 4.2 of the report, together with options for developing new customer interaction and service enhancements which were outlined in paragraphs 5.1 and 5.2.

Councillor Ric Metcalfe acknowledged that the Council had always paid a lot of attention to this service and the proposals would take the Crematorium and the services associated with it to another level in terms of the quality it could offer. He was of the view that members of the Council, as well as members of the public, would welcome this.

Councillor Fay Smith made the point that there had been problems in the past with bookings but that this had normally been due to Funeral Directors being unavailable on certain days rather than the Crematorium not being able to accommodate a service. A new booking system as part of the proposals would address this. In addition, work was taking place between the Council and Funeral Directors to improve relationships and work together to continue to improve service provision in this respect.