The Bandon Hill Cemetery Joint Committee met to discuss financial and property matters related to the cemetery. The committee approved a revised treasury strategy, the 2026/27 budget, and associated fees and charges. They also approved funding of £15,000 for essential maintenance to the Lodge, deferring a decision on landscaping works.

Lodge Improvements

The committee agreed to provide funding of up to £15,000 to remove vegetation and repaint and repair the Lodge at Bandon Hill Cemetery. This was an amendment to the officer's recommendation to approve £70,000 for a wider set of improvements.

The Head of Parks and Open Spaces, Mark Dalzell, had recommended a package of works including:

• Removal of ivy from the building at a cost of £1,431.
• Repair and repainting of brick and woodwork at a cost of £12,987.
• Installation of a new boundary fence at the front and rear of the property, creation of a new path and pedestrian entrance with landscape works to the garden at a cost of £54,014.

The report noted that the removal of ivy and the repairs were essential to maintaining the building. The additional landscaping works were designed to separate the lodge visually and physically from the remainder of the cemetery to facilitate future alternative uses, as it is no longer required to house a cemetery superintendent.

The committee agreed that the essential works should be carried out, but deferred the landscaping works until plans for the lodge's future are confirmed.

Financial Matters

The committee approved several financial recommendations outlined in the Report of the Treasurer.

• 2025/26 Forecast Outturn: The committee noted the forecast outturn surplus of £26,641 as at Period 6.
• Treasury Strategy: The committee approved a revised treasury strategy. The Head of Financial Planning and Business Partnering, Bradley Peyton, explained that currently the Cemetery's cash was receiving 2% interest in a main bank account with Lloyds. He recommended implementing a strategy to deposit £715,000 into Lloyd's Government Call account, which currently has a rate of 3.77%. The remaining balance would stay in the main bank account earning 2%.
  • During the meeting, members questioned whether a higher interest rate could be secured by placing a portion of the balance into a longer-term investment. Officers agreed to investigate this and review the treasury strategy at the next meeting.
• 2026/27 Budget: The committee approved the 2026/27 budget and associated fees and charges. The budget resulted in a surplus of £42,000, which would increase the cemetery's reserve. This excludes the budget of up to £70,000 that may be required for grounds maintenance works.
• Risk Register: The committee noted the risk register and the actions being taken to mitigate the key risks.

The report of the treasurer noted that the committee requested that Fees and Charges benchmarking be undertaken and the output of this can be found in Appendix B of the Public Reports Pack. The benchmarking demonstrates that the Cemetery's current charges are below average for coffin burials more than 1 deep and memorial permit fees.

When setting fees, the Committee is recommended to do so in a way that:

• does not preclude access to these essential services for any resident
• covers the operational costs, e.g. grave digging, grounds maintenance, staff and administration
• remain competitive compared to other providers
• account for the long-term liability of maintaining the cemetery grounds for the duration of the grant or service being provided.

It was recommended that the fees and charges are inflated by 3% and this is set out in Appendix C of the Public Reports Pack. 3% is the minimum increase the cemetery is allowed to apply based on the guaranteed income terms within the council's contract with its grounds maintenance provider. Increasing beyond 3% would not provide any direct benefit to the Cemetery because of the current terms of the contract.

Northern Boundary Fencing

The committee noted that the replacement of damaged sections of the northern boundary fencing, which was approved at the previous meeting, is scheduled to commence the week commencing 24 November 2025. The previous meeting in June 2025 agreed that funding of £18,800 be made available to replace sections of boundary fencing.