Here are the minutes of the last burial grounds committee. If you are new to the blog or the PC this might sound not very inviting but fierce passions are aroused by the state of our cemetery (whether good or bad I might add).
The committee is also responsible for the war memorial, the church clock and the churchyard grounds maintenance. For reasons I cannot fathom we also do the churchyard wall. I assume this was something in magna carta.
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In
Attendance: R J
Davey-Hunt, Clerk.
Declarations of interest: There were no declarations.
1. Memorial Garden.
1.1.
Quotations received for replacing Chamomile lawn:
1.1.1. Alan
Reynolds £280.00
– no VAT
1.1.2. All
Green Landscapes £450.00
+ VAT
1.1.3. In-Trim
Gdn. & Grnds. Maint. £400.00
+ VAT
1.1.4. Warner’s
of Bedford £275.00
+ VAT
1.2.
It was RECOMMENDED
that the quotation in the sum of £280.00 from Alan Reynolds be accepted.
2.
Baby
burial area. It
was RECOMMENDED that PCllr G Young
would look again as the proposed project and put forward ideas to the Committee
in March. This follows research
carried out by PCllrs Mrs Delise Ball and L Pollock which resulted in the
conclusion that the project is not suitable for Cranfield Cemetery. PCllr Mrs Ball did however express the
opinion that it would be good to have the babies buried in the same area if it
was the wish of the parents and if an appropriate scheme emerges. PCllr L Pollock suggested that it may be
more appropriate to re-consider adding to or revising the Cemetery Rules to
give the opportunity to create guidelines around child burial.
3. Churchyard Path. The Rev Hugh
Symes-Thompson writes
to ask whether the £5000.00 held in this Council’s budget for 2013-4,
allocated for the resurfacing of the north vehicular access path, is still available
for use, what conditions apply and what work is proposed to be done and by
whom. Once this information is to
hand he says, the matter will brought forward for consultation/approval by the
PCC and if necessary a faculty (authorisation by the diocese for structural
works) can be applied for. It was RECOMMENDED that the Clerk writes to confirm that the money is still
available as a contribution for the re-surfacing of the north path, on
condition that the path is suitable for purpose, and that this Council has
sight of a detailed specification for the work before it is commissioned.
4.
Supply
of pea shingle for churchyard paths.
It was RECOMMENDED that
this Council will provide pea shingle for application to the churchyard
pathways. The Clerk undertook to ask what quantity and colour
is required.
5.
Topple
testing – Churchyard.
5.1.
Came
& Company writes in response to this Council’s request for
information regarding insurance relating to the inspection of gravestones in
the Churchyard of St Peter and St Paul’s Church and has provided
guidelines on burial ground memorials for reference and information. In relation
to members of the PCC undertaking inspections of the grave stones, Andrew
Bedding states that:
5.1.1. On
the basis the Parish Council accepts responsibility for the safety of the
headstones and is happy to use the services of the volunteers from the
Parochial Church Council to undertake the checks the Parish Council’s policy
will operate in the event of injury or damage arising from this activity.
5.1.2. The
Employers’ Liability Insurance provided by the policy will protect the Parish
Council should the volunteers sustain an injury during the course of their
duties and they can successfully prove that the Parish Council has failed to
provide an adequate duty of care.
5.1.3. In
order to reduce the prospects of a successful claim we recommend that risk
assessments are completed in writing and kept on your records. The Parish
Council should ensure the volunteers are competent to carry out the tasks
expected of them.
5.1.4. If
aged under 80 they will also be automatically covered under the Personal
Accident Insurance section of the policy for the benefits listed on the policy
schedule.
5.1.5. The
Public Liability Insurance section of the policy will operate should the
volunteers’ work lead to loss, injury or damage being sustained by a member of
the public and the Parish Council is considered to be legally liable.
5.2.
The
Clerk reported that she has written to Judicium to ask that a
risk assessment is created for topple testing by the PCC in the churchyard, and
for topple testing carried out by members of this Council for headstones in
Cranfield Cemetery.
6.
Topsoil
Storage. Following
problems experienced last year with the supply of topsoil, it was RECOMEMNDED that a top soil storage
area is created in the Cemetery.
It was further RECOMMENDED
that the Clerk seeks advice from A Reynolds, and PCllr L Pollock contacts
Maurice Rust to discuss storage methods.
7.
Reports:
7.1.
Cemetery
Superintendent Doug Parish will be on holiday from the 10th
– 24th May. This will
be covered by Roy Phillips and PCllr G Young. Mr Parish has requested holiday in April also, 19th,
20th and 21st – the Clerk has written to Roy Phillips to
ask if he can cover.
7.2.
War
Graves.
This Council has an income from a fund arising from “The Coleman
Bequest”. The Fund comprises 189 shares in the Central Board of Finance of The
Church of England Investment Fund. It returns a dividend of approximately £90
per annum; the shares have a value of approximately £2,000. The income
from the bequest is for churchyard maintenance. The dividends are paid
direct to the Parish Council each year.
7.3.
Judicium
Consulting have written a risk assessment for accessing the
church tower for the purpose of monitoring/maintaining the clock. The document was forwarded to all
Members on the 4th February.
The assessment is still under review, and will be brought back to
committees when a final draft has been produced.
8. Correspondence:
8.1.
The Rev Hugh Symes-Thompson writes in response to this
Council’s request for written confirmation that topple testing is formerly
undertaken by the PCC twice yearly.
He states the PCC will consider this at their next meeting and give a formal
response and also asks if any voluntary actions by the PCC are protected from
liability or costs. The
Clerk has asked advice from this Council’s insurers. In light of the advice received from this Council’s
insurers, it was RECOMMENDED that
this Council writes to the Rev. Hugh Symes-Thompson to advise that they may
continue with topple testing in the Churchyard.
9. Agenda Items: Wild flower area – churchyard,
Maintenance of War Memorial garden and cemetery memorial garden, Risk
assessments – church tower and churchyard topple test, Baby burial area,
Cemetery fees.
