Apologies were received from:

Councillor Nick Emmerson

Councillor Trish Fivey

Councillor David Williams

And Doug Napier

No Declarations of Pecuniary Interest were received

Before  the meeting started the Chair asked the Committee to have a one minute silence in memory of Councillor Adrian Davey who had been a LB Sutton substitute member of the Board.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 November 2017 are agreed as an accurate record.

A verbal update will be presented at the meeting

The Registrar to the Board and the Contract Director of idverde presented a verbal review of the idverde contract  to the Board. The Registrar reported that operations were running smoothly and that burial numbers matched the previous year’s. He reported that complaints were about the usual subjects mainly grass cutting. Members asked if staff and staff cuts had caused any issues. The Contract Director for idverde explained that idverde had been able to amalgamate cemetery teams across the contract, creating one team that could cover all the required operations at all cemeteries. Although there were less staff they were no longer static thus giving more productivity. This was a more joined up and streamlined approach to staff deployment with no change to service delivery. He assured members that the administration team could still deliver its services. He explained that staff would now concentrate on their area of skill, for example rather than cemetery staff cutting the grass, skilled horticultural staff would now travel between sites to carry out grass cutting.

Members commented to the Contract Manager that it would be good to have a written report from the contractors, so that Members had the information they required. The Treasurer added that it would be helpful if there was reporting on key performance indicators The idverde Contract Manager said he would look at this issue

The Registrar stated that there were complaints regarding the condition of the toilets and the Treasurer replied that the Board would set aside money for this refurbishment, but the provision of the office needs to be reviewed.

The Registrar informed the Board of the urgent need for new Bearer Beams and for the creation of a bearer beam mapping system. The costs associated with both do not form part of the contract, and the responsibility for organising this lies with the client side.

During the later confidential section of the Meeting Members again expressed a strong view that in future they would like to receive a written report on performance form idverde representatives and that this should contain key performance indicators.

To RESOLVE that the public are excluded from the meeting

during consideration of the following reports on the grounds

that they are exempt from disclosure for the reasons

stated in the agenda.

RESOLVED: That the public are excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following report(s) on the grounds that it is (they are) exempt from disclosure for the reasons stated in the report(s).

RESOLVED: That the Exempt minutes of the meeting held on 14 November 2017 are agreed as an accurate record.

The minutes for this item are not for Publication

By Virtue of paragraph 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A

Of the Local Government Act 1972

A verbal report will be presented at the meeting.

The minutes for this item are not for Publication

By Virtue of paragraph 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A

Of the Local Government Act 1972

A verbal Report will be presented at the Meeting

The minutes for this item are not for Publication

By Virtue of paragraph 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A

Of the Local Government Act 1972