Scotter Cemetery Policy
*No Burial shall take place, no cremated remains scattered and no memorial shall be placed or inscriptions added without the permission of Scotter Parish Council.*
1 Fees and Payments
The fees set out below apply where the person to be interred or in respect of whom the right is granted is a resident of Scotter Parish. In all other cases, the fees will be doubled unless there is sufficient grounds for consideration to be given for a residents fee to be applied. The fees set out below are applicable from 20th June 2022 and will remain in place until further notice is given. It must be noted that the fees exclude the cost of digging of the grave and this is to be arranged through a funeral director.
1.1 Interments
1. For the interment in any grave of:
a) Children under 18 and a resident at the time of death. No charge
b) Children under 18 and a non resident at the time of death. Full charges apply
c) The body of a person whose age at the time of death exceeded 18 years. £350.00
2. For the interment of cremated remains in
a) a new (unused) cremation plot. £200.00
b) an existing full sized grave or existing cremation grave. £150.00
Please Note : If the interment is in a new grave and the bereaved family wish to reserve that grave for a future burial and/or place a memorial upon it, it is also necessary to purchase an exclusive right to burial in that grave, as per 1.2 below.
1.2 Exclusive rights of burial in earthen graves
1. For the exclusive rights of burial in a new graves for one interment or suitable for two interments for a period of 50 years. Maximum 2 burials per space. £200.00
2. For the exclusive rights of burial of a cremated remains grave for a period of 50 years. Maximum 2 burials per space. £150.00
1.3 Monuments and Inscriptions
For the purchase of a Permit to erect or place on a grave :
a) a headstone not exceeding 92cm in height. £120.00
b) a vase or tablet not exceeding 30cm in height by 30cm in width £90.00
The fees indicated in 1.3 include the first inscription. For each inscription thereafter, a fee of £55 is payable for a headstone not exceeding 92cm in height or vase/tablet not exceeding 30cm in height by 30cm in width.
1.4 Allocation of Spaces
New full burial or cremated remains spaces will be allocated on a next available space basis. Spaces cannot be chosen out of order, the next space on the end of the row will be the only space available. Spaces cannot be reserved however family members wishing to be together can arrange for a grave to be dug double depth allowing 2 burials in one space.
2 Interments
2.1 Interment Arrangements
No interment shall take place without the express permission of the Council. Requests for interment must be made at least three working days prior to the interment to the Clerk to the Council. The hours of interment shall be between 9.30am and 4.00pm, Monday to Friday. Interments will not normally take place at weekends or on public holidays, although Saturday interments will be permitted in special circumstances and due consideration will be given to religious requirements which may require alteration to the foregoing.
Burials must take place in the grave space allocated. The Clerk to the Council will mark the grave prior to the interment to facilitate this.
All fees and charges must be paid to the Clerk to the Council by the date of the interment.
Bank transfers are the preferred method of payment however cheques will be accepted..
2.2 Grant of Exclusive Right of Burial
The exclusive right of burial in an unused and unreserved grave space may be purchased by a member of the public for a period of 50 years at the fee set out in section 1.2. For the avoidance of any doubt, memorials may only be placed on graves for which an exclusive right to burial has been purchased.
2.3 Grave Digging
It is the responsibility of the funeral director (employed by the bereaved family) to engage the
services of the grave digger at their own expense. The Council expects the funeral director to hold the appropriate public liability insurance for any work carried out at Scotter Cemetery and requires a copy of that insurance certificate to be sent to the Council on an annual basis. It also requires that the funeral director has a safe working procedure that applies to grave digging and backfilling, a copy to be supplied to the Council on request. Under its policy, the funeral director must note that the Council requires that the grave digger installs appropriate shoring equipment during the excavation to support the ground and prevent collapse, to protect the health and safety of the grave digger during digging and the mourners, clergy and funeral director’s staff during the interment.
If, following the excavation of any grave, the grave digger and/or funeral director intends to leave it unattended for any period of time, a temporary barrier must be erected by the grave digger and/or funeral director around the grave or the grave be securely covered, to prevent falls.
On backfilling the grave, the Council requires that the soil is compacted every six inches in depth by treading, to prevent the need for excessive re-instatements. The grave shall be left turfed flat, the site left neat and tidy with any surplus spoil removed to the designated area and the wreaths and flowers carefully placed.
3 Memorials – Headstones, Tablets and Vases
3.1 Responsibility for the safety of memorials
3.1 a Owners of Memorials
The primary responsibility for the condition and the inherent safety of a memorial during its entire lifespan rests with the owner of the memorial or his/her heirs. The owner has a duty of care to maintain the memorial in a good state of repair at all times so that it does not represent a hazard to themselves, to members of the public or to those working in the cemetery, and to abide by the cemetery policy.
If the owner is concerned at any time about the condition of the memorial or the likelihood of it falling, they should consult the original stonemason or contact the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM) for advice at the earliest opportunity. Insuring the memorial will guard against damage to the stone itself and assist in relation to damage to third parties and the Council recommends that owners take out such insurance.
3.1 b Monumental Masons
The mason acts as the agent for the owner in the construction and erection of the memorial and has a duty of care to manufacture, supply and erect the memorial in accordance with the regulations set out in the cemetery policy. Any instability due to poor workmanship, to failure to comply with the code of practice specified by the Council or to failure to comply with cemetery regulations remains the responsibility of the mason.
The Council requires that all masons undertaking the erection of memorials in Scotter Cemetery carry adequate public liability insurance and provide a copy. For each memorial, that they sign an undertaking that they will comply with the NAMM recommended methods of installation (as laid down in NAMM’s code of working practice) and any relevant Standards.
The Council recommends that memorial owners obtain a written guarantee from their mason in relation to the workmanship on their memorial.
3.1 c The Council
Scotter Parish Council, as owner and operator of Scotter Cemetery, owes a general duty of care to users of the cemetery. It has health and safety responsibilities to its staff under Section 2 of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and responsibilities to its visitors under Section 3 of the same act. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 places a legal duty on the Council to assess the risks from cemetery structures and work activities and to ensure that risks are controlled.
The Council also has responsibilities under the Local Authorities Cemetery Order 1977. In the event of any memorial becoming dangerous or defective the Council can, in accordance with the powers and procedures set out in Article 16(2) and Schedule 3 of that Order, give notice to the owner requiring them to repair or to remove the memorial. It is important that the owner keeps the Council informed of any change to their address to enable contact to be maintained.
In essence the Council, as cemetery operator, must do all that is reasonably practicable to ensure that people are not exposed to risks to their health and safety whilst in the cemetery. This means that the Council needs to have a strategy for identifying and dealing with memorials that constitute a risk, even though the primary responsibility for memorial safety rests with the owner. However, for the avoidance of any doubt, whilst the Council must have such a strategy to identify memorials that constitute a risk (see section 3.4), it is the legal responsibility of the owner to ensure that action is taken to repair the memorial to the required standard and to meet any costs that may be incurred in so doing.
3.2 Dimensions & Specification
No memorial or any other article shall be allowed to be erected other than one only of the following:
a) a headstone not exceeding 92 cm in above-ground height, 76cm in width and 10cm in thickness. In the grass lawned area any such headstone is to be of monolith construction or securely fixed to an appropriate solid foundation of sufficient size and mass to ensure the stability of the monument. The top of the foundation must not protrude above ground level.
b) a memorial vase or tablet not exceeding 30cm in any dimension placed at the head of the grave.
c) Headstones are not permitted on cremated remains graves, they must be a memorial vase or tablet as noted in 3.2(b)
The grave identification number (provided to the monumental mason by the Council) is to be engraved in small letter/numbers on the rear of the memorial in a visible position.
All memorials must be constructed and erected/re-erected in accordance with the National Association of Monumental Masons (NAMM) Code of Working Practice and all relevant standards in force at the time of construction/erection.
No kerbing shall be erected around the grave plot without permission.
3.3 Procedures for Memorial Erection
No headstone or other memorial shall be placed in the cemetery and no additional inscription shall be made on any memorial without the express permission of the Council. If the memorial is in respect of the interment of a body in the grass lawned sections of Scotter Cemetery a period of at least 6 months must elapse between the date of interment and the date of erection of the memorial, to allow for soil compaction. There is no such restriction in respect of the interment of cremated remains in any part of the cemetery or in respect of the interment of a body in the part of the cemetery, where a memorial foundation plinth has been installed.
All memorials over 62.5cm must be fixed to and fully compliant, with the current British Standard (BS8415). This extends to any memorial being re-fixed following removal for any reason. Key requirements are that memorials must be fixed to an approved and suitable foundation (where one is not provided by the authority) and must be further secured using an approved anchoring system.
Memorials are only permitted on graves where (in addition to the requirements of section 2.2) a Permit to Erect and Maintain a Memorial has been purchased from the Council (a copy of which is contained as Appendix 1). The permit will be granted for a period of 25 years. When seeking to purchase the Permit to Erect and Maintain a Memorial, the prospective permit holder (i.e. the owner of the memorial) and the monumental mason must also complete a Memorial Application Form (a copy of which is attached as Appendix 2). Amongst the information required on this form is the name and address of the relative of the deceased (or other party) that will be regarded as the owner of the memorial, details of the proposed work and the approximate date that the work will be carried out.
All fees and charges must be paid to the Clerk to the Council within 10 working days of the issue of the Permit (for a new memorial) or by the date of re-erection of the memorial (where an additional inscription is added).
Following the granting of the Permit, the monumental mason must give notice to the Clerk to the Council of their intention to erect the memorial at least three working days prior to the erection. The memorial must be erected on the grave plot allocated (or between two grave plots where approved by the Council). In the grass lawned part of the cemetery the Clerk to the Council will mark the grave prior to the erection to facilitate this, if required.
An area has been designed for memorials to be installed back to back and to be attached to a concrete strip foundation which has already been installed. The foundation is 900mm wide (for the installation of memorials on two graves), is 200mm in depth and is set c. 50mm below ground level, the distance to ground level being covered with gravel for aesthetic purposes. The specification of the concrete is min 25N incorporating polypropylene fibres. Memorials are to be erected within the designated area on the foundation slab for the grave in question and, to facilitate this, the grave number and its maximum width have been etched into the concrete foundation. The Council will arrange to remove the top gravel layer to reveal these details and to facilitate the erection of the memorial when the grave is marked for memorial erection.
To attach the memorial to the foundation, the Council recognises that the memorial mason will need to utilise a power drill and hereby grants permission for such usage, subject to the mason ensuring that his installers are sensitive to the needs of other users of the cemetery at the time of installation.
Tablets and vases will continue to be permitted in the new cemetery area and must be placed on the foundation within the designated area for the grave in question.
3.4 Periodic Safety Inspections of Memorials
All memorial over 62.5cm in height will be inspected by trained staff at least once during a 5 year rolling period to assess their safety. This will be done through both a visual assessment and a basic hand test to determine if there is movement in the memorial and to what extent.
The cost of the inspection is included in the fees set out in section 1.3. The date(s) and time(s) of the annual inspection will be publicised on the Parish Council Website and Face Book Page at least 14 days before the inspection dates.
Inspection will also be displayed on the cemetery notice board. Owners are welcome to attend.
The individual undertaking the assessment will make the decision on the overall safety based on a dynamic risk assessment for which they have been trained. Once inspected each memorial will fall into one of the three categories, detailed as follows:
Category 1 – memorial is unsafe and poses a risk and will require immediate attention to make safe and/or protect from the public.
Category 2 – Memorial is safe but there are minor concerns and it should be reassessed in 12 months time to ensure it has not deteriorated further.
Category 3 – Memorial is safe and should be reinspected in 5 years as part of the next round of inspections or as part of any other check that may occur, for example when checking memorials around a planned burial ahead of excavation of the grave.
Staff undertaking the inspections will record the details of every memorial and an assessment of its safety using the categories above. These details will be recorded onto the burial authorities’ records. The details will include:
- Date of inspection
- Name of Inspector
- Grave Identification
- Category of Memorial (1,2 or 3)
- Details of any action taken
Action Post inspection
Should a memorial be identified as a Category 1 and fail the inspection staff will need to take immediate action to make the memorial temporarily safe or cordon it off until permanent repairs can be made by the grave owner/permit holder. These actions will be based on several factors and the best solution will be administered by the memorial inspection team based on their assessment of the memorial and the surrounding area. These actions may include:
- Laying the memorial flat – In most cases this will in variably be where a memorial can be laid down on or within an existing kerb set so as not to cause a new trip hazard. A warning sign will be placed near to the memorial.
- Staked and banded – The memorial will be fastened tight to a post which will act as a temporary support. The banding will also hold a warning notice. The stake and band will be inspected every 12 months to ensure neither have deteriorated.
- Monolith conversion – This involves digging out a depth one third of the overall height of the memorial from the last joint in order that it can be sunk into the ground and made safe. A memorial warning notice will be added to the grave. Due to foundations, it may be necessary for the memorial to be moved slightly forward into the grave space to avoid existing foundations.
- Cordoned off – In some cases it may be necessary to cordon off a memorial or an area containing a number of memorials due to their safety. Warning signs will be place accordingly.
- Removal – In extreme cases it may be necessary to remove a memorial from the grave and place into storage if none of the above options are suitable.
All of the above are regarded as ‘temporary fixes’ and should not be seen as a permanent solution to deal with an unsafe memorial and are intended to reduce or remove the risk of a memorial causing harm or damage to someone.
Prior to any of the above, photographs will be taken and details recorded of any existing damage or issues.
Informing Grave Owners
Scotter Parish Council will endeavour to contact the grave owner where any action has been taken due to a memorial failing a safety inspection. Correspondence will only be sent providing that the grave owner/permit holder is not recorded as being in the grave or if it is apparent that the registered address no longer exists. For any memorial over 50 years no correspondence will be sent but a notice will be left on the grave space for a period of not less that 12 months.
Any memorial that fails an inspection that has been installed within the pervious 6 years we will contact the memorial mason directly to request repairs be made to ensure the memorial is fully compliant with BS8415
All costs associated with organising a memorial to be repaired including the reversal of any works undertaken by our staff, remain the responsibility of the grave owner.
Should grave owners/permitholders fail to take any action within a reasonable time period, Scotter Parish Council will look to apply a semi permanent solution to the memorial, this will involve either laying the memorial flat or sinking the memorial into the ground (monolith conversion) or removal.
3.5 Extending the Permit Period
Following the expiration of the initial period of the Permit and if the owner so requests in writing, the Permit may be extended by the Council subject to a safety inspection of the memorial (as described in 3.4 above), the satisfactory repair of any defects found and any other necessary safeguards required by the Council being put into place. All aspects of this are at the owner’s cost. The fee for the Permit extension will be confirmed at the time of request.
If an application to extend the Permit is not received from the owner by the expiration of the initial period, the Council reserves the right to require the memorial to be removed and, in the absence of the owner, reserves the right to organise its removal on their behalf.
4 General
The Parish Council as the burial authority has a duty of care and is responsible for the safety of the cemetery and can take action as required to achieve this.
The cemetery will be open for pedestrian access at all times, although the Council reserves the right to make such closures as may be necessary for repairs, emergencies or in the interests of public safety. The dignity and calm of the cemetery must be respected at all times. Dogs are prohibited.
The Council shall regularly maintain the cemetery gardens, driveway and paths, to include the removal of litter. The Council reserves the right to remove and dispose of any item or dead floral tributes that are positioned such as to impede maintenance activities or may cause a health and safety hazard. The Council shall provide a water supply, located at the side of the garage (near to the cemetery driveway) for the convenience of visitors.
The Council discourages items of personal nature or memorabilia being left on graves. If items of this nature are to be kept on graves then a masonry kerbing will need to be fitted to the graves. This must be installed by a monumental mason and approved by the council before installation. All items must be kept inside the kerbing, not exceed the height of the kerbing and must not be of a breakable nature i.e. ceramic, porcelain or glass. The Council do not take responsibility for any item’s places on graves, they are placed at own risk and remain your responsibility, however the Council reserve the right to remove them if deemed a health and safety hazard.
The Council discourages the placing of plastic or artificial flowers or plants as these can degrade and plastic contaminate the soil in addition over time look unsightly and not in keeping with the nature of the cemetery. Fresh flowers are encouraged.
Should sinkage occur on any grave, the Council will top this up free of charge.
No trees, shrubs, flowers or borders shall be planted in the cemetery without the express permission of the Council. Where such permission is granted, the Council shall supervise the planting. The Council reserves the right to prune or remove any planted material if, in the opinion of the Council, it has become unsightly or overgrown.
No edging, fencing or kerbing shall be installed without the express permission of the Council.
To identify any potential hazards and risks, a monthly site inspection will be conducted and required action taken.
If you are the owner of or responsible for a grave or have purchased exclusive rights of burial, please ensure the personal information we hold for you is kept up to date. The Council will not accept responsibility for any information that has not been kept current, we will use every reasonable means to try to contact or trace you, but in the event this is not possible, The Council reserve the right to carry out any action that is required within the cemetery. Your personal data will be stored securely in line with GDPR regulations and will not be shared with third parties without your permission.
The Council shall keep the statutory registers and records in relation to burials conducted at the cemetery. The registers and records are open for inspection, free of charge, by appointment with the Clerk to the Council.
This policy is regularly reviewed and The Council reserve the right to amend it when required.
This policy was reviewed and is effective from 21st July 2025
Minute Ref: 2507/10