2025

CEM0209 - Approach to cremator maintenance and servicing  - 170925

A member authority is currently reviewing their approach to cremator maintenance and servicing and would be very grateful for your insights and experiences to help inform the development of our future specification.

Specifically, the member authority seeking information on:

• Current and previous service providers for cremator and ancillary equipment maintenance.
• Scope of services provided – including frequency of servicing, emergency call-outs, parts replacement, and software support.
• Contract terms – duration, renewal options, and whether contracts are based on local authority terms and conditions or supplier-issued terms.
• Costs – indicative annual costs or pricing structures (if possible).
• Ease of use and reliability of the service – including any challenges or notable successes.
• Customer service experience – responsiveness, technical support, and relationship management.
• Ancillary equipment – whether maintenance of items such as mercury abatement systems, filtration systems, cremulator equipment, mortuary fridges, or coffin / charging trolleys is included or contracted separately.
• KPIs or performance measures used to monitor service delivery.
• Any lessons learned or advice you would offer when procuring or managing these contracts.

We would also be extremely grateful if you could share:

• A copy of your current specification for cremator servicing and maintenance.
• Any template documents or evaluation criteria you’ve found useful in tendering or contract management.

CEM0208 - Transfer of responsibility for public health act funerals to a bereavement services team – 150925

A member authority is exploring the transfer of responsibility for public health act funerals to a bereavement services team, and they are interested how other local authorities currently provide their public health act funerals. The member authority would be grateful if you could share:

• Which team or department manages public health funerals
• Staffing and capacity requirements
• Operational processes and legal considerations
• Cost recovery mechanisms and typical expenditure
• Any lessons learned from service transitions or ongoing delivery

CEM0207 - Options for handling waste in cemeteries – 080925

A member authority is exploring options for handling waste in our cemeteries. They currently provide standard outdoor bins on-site, but large wreaths, tributes, etc, do not fit into them.

Visitors leave larger waste piled up next to the bins or elsewhere on-site, which is unsightly, and the mess can be blown around in the wind between the scheduled waste collections. If we provide larger, open-topped bins then there's a potential risk of abuse, with household/commercial waste possibly being brought in by opportunists.

The member authority would be interested to know if other authorities have found a successful way of managing this?

CEM0206 - Burial Fees & Charges – 280825

This Local Authority is seeking information in regard to burial fees and charges through the following questions:

1. How are fees for sale of full lair and casket lair calculated – what costs are included?
2. Do you have separate charges for residents and non-residents?
3. Do you achieve full cost recovery on all burial charges?

CEM0205 - Data sharing agreement with Stonemasons – 270825

A member authority would like to know if other Local Authority Cemetery Services have a Data Sharing Agreement with Stonemasons and whether they can share a template document?

CEM0204 - Headstone foundations – 220825

A member authority is seeking information regarding headstone foundations. Specifically, they would like to know the following:-

Does your local authority lay the first foundation for headstones? Also, for a refix if required?

Do you a settle period from the last burial to the foundation being installed? If so, how long is this period?

CEM0203 - The depth graves excavated to accommodate a casket of cremation ashes – 310725

A member authority is seeking information regarding the following:-

1. To what depth are graves excavated to accommodate a casket of cremation ashes in your cemetery?

How many burials of cremation ashes do you accommodate in a full grave after the last full interment has taken place?

CEM0202 - Stabilising unsafe memorials – 300625

A member authority is seeking information from other local authorities regarding the procedures that are in place to stabilise unsafe memorials after safety testing.

CEM0201 - Burial Management Plans for Scotland – 250625

APSE would like to know if any Scottish local authority has started or indeed completed their Burial Management Plan which relates to the guidance on The Burial (Management) (Scotland) Regulations 2025?

In addition, APSE are keen to understand if Scottish local authorities would be interested in a Roundtable to discuss the subject of Burial Management Plans including sharing challenges, best practice and experiences?

CEM0200 - Ashes casket interments in coffin lairs – 250625

A local authority is interested to know what policies or procedures other Scottish burial authorities have in place in the event that gravediggers discover an ashes casket interment when preparing a lair for a coffin interment. (i.e. when the exact position of ashes casket is not known). In particular, do burial authorities carefully reposition the interment within the lair, ensuring the casket remains below ground level and within the lair, or seek an exhumation licence to remove the ashes casket and reinter.

They are also keen to know if any Scottish burial authorities have a fast-tracked process with the Sheriff Court for exhumations and to know more about how this works. If it is also used for exhumation and or repositioning of ashes caskets, either when the casket remains below ground and/or is taken above ground level prior to repositioning in the original liar.

CEM0199 - Consecrated ground and pipework installation – 260625

A member authority has been asked by their Legal team to find out if a corner far section of the Cemetery is consecrated as pipework is required to be installed.

The member council have searched the archive information and cannot find anything, to say that corner has been consecrated as it is not a plot. However, a page in the Minutes Book of 1869 says, “ the Cemetery was consecrated on the 11th day of September 1869”. It does not say specific plots, just the Cemetery. There is also a war grave section approximately 7-8 metres away from the area they want to excavate.

The member authority would like to know if work can be allowed to go ahead If they cannot find evidence of the exact areas consecrated and if so, who would give permission?

Any information or thoughts of what else could be done to find out or have your authority has come across the same sort of circumstance would be much appreciated.

CEM0198 - Destitute Burial Policy – 190625

A member authority is seeking information regarding destitute Burial Policies.

The member authority would like to know if you have a policy in place.

If so, please could you share a copy?

CEM0197 - Expired burial rights – 110625

A member authority started selling our exclusive rights of burial for a fixed term of 50 years in 1975. Those rights are now starting to expire.

The ICCM advised the member authority to write to all the grave owners as their rights expire to give them the opportunity to re-purchase them. Thy also advised to attach notices to the graves for potentially up to 5 years before selling them again.

The member authority would like to know if your burial authority is in a similar situation.

And how do you manage graves with expired burial rights?

CEM0196 - Permits for headstone - 140425

CEM0195 - Coroners forms and their opportunity, to indicate 'unknown' when answering the question regarding a medical implant - 110425

A member authority has a query regarding Coroners forms and their opportunity, to indicate 'unknown' when answering the question regarding a medical implant.

This is particularly unhelpful because it is often left to the LAs Bereavement Services team to chase medical examiners and GPs to determine if the deceased did or didn't have a medical implant.

Regularly this information is received with in a day or even less, than the scheduled cremation date and a decision may be made to cancel a cremation.

Has you authority been able to create a work around for this situation?

CEM0194 -  Health and safety risk assessments for bad weather and letter to grave owners regarding unauthorised structures - 070425

A member authority has a couple of queries that they are seeking information from other local authorities

1. The member authority is drafting a protocol and associated health and safety risk assessments in relation to adverse weather conditions (strong winds, gales, heavy rain etc) which may affect our cemetery and crematorium. Is anybody willing to please share any existing template documents with us please.
2. Does your authority have any example letters which have been sent to grave owners in relation to unauthorised structures / memorialisation which contravene cemetery rules and regulations that they would be happy to share and please could provide any feedback on the success of the letter(s) that would be much appreciated too.

CEM0193 - Closed churchyard maintenance - 040425

A member authority is seeking information regarding closed churchyard maintenance. Specifically, the member authority would like to know the following:-

1. How frequently do you carry out grass cutting in closed churchyards?
2. What type of inspections of the churchyard walls do you carry out to ensure they remain in good condition? Who carries out these inspections? How frequently is this done?
3. Where significant wall repairs are identified, or a section of wall collapses, who do the authority employ to carry out the repair/rebuild?

CEM0192 - Payment policy and online booking system - 180325

A member authority would like to hear from other authorities in relation to the following:-

1. Does your authority operate a full payment in advance policy at the point of booking for burials and cremations. If so, what good practice or feedback can they share about it?
2. Does your authority operate an online booking system for burial/ cremation bookings? If so, what software do you use?

CEM0191 - Transfer of Deeds - 110325

A member authority is seeking information regarding the Transfer of Deeds form

Specifically, the member authority would like to know the following:-

1. Can you provide an example of a Transfer of Deeds form that is used when the lair holder is the deceased?

2. Do you request for other siblings/and or family members to give permission for said person to take ownership?

CEM190 - Collection of Christmas wreaths within cemeteries - 270225

A local authority would like to know how other member authorities address the collection of Christmas wreaths within cemeteries? In particular:-

1. Does you cemeteries service take the wreaths to the local authority waste facility or have you a repurposing option and if so what?

2. Is the cost of removal covered by the cemeteries service itself?

CEM0189 - Cemetery Gates - 300125

CEM0188 - Delivery models for Bereavement Services - 130125

A member authority is seeking information from other authorities regarding what delivery model they have in place for Bereavement Services.

The member authority would like to know the following:-

• Do you deliver new burials via an in-house or outsourced arrangement?

• Do you deliver cemetery grounds maintenance via an in-house or outsourced arrangement?

• Do you deliver memorial safety via an in-house or outsourced arrangement?

• Do you deliver crematorium operation via an in-house or outsourced arrangement?

For any outsourced arrangements would you be happy to share details of the benefits of this arrangement?

CEM0187 - Using an ATI Cremator - 080125

A member authority is currently experiencing issues with their ATI cremator and would like to hear from other authorities who use the same cremator, and if they are experiencing any issues.