Apologies for Absence were received from Councillor David Williams, Councillor Jean Crossby, Howard Joy – Surveyor to the Board and Mark Robinson – Cemetery Manager and Registrar.

There were no declarations of interest.

In answer to a question asked regarding Board Members personal indemnity insurance, the Board noted that this would be covered by the Council’s own insurance

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2018 are agreed as an accurate record.

The Treasurer presented her report Budget Monitoring 2018/19 and Revenue Estimates 2019/20. The Treasurer asked the Board to note that she had concentrated on  looking at income and erred on the side of caution and been very prudent when projecting the contract income. Demand for burial space was starting to pick up, it had dropped previously when prices were raised. Income figures were good.

The Treasurer asked the Board to note Recommendation 6 of her report, that the Board should recommend to Merton Council a price increase of up to 2.5% for 2019/20 burial services. Board members were unsure if they wanted to make this recommendation, as they did not want the MSJC to be so expensive that families could not afford to use it. Members asked if  they could receive comparative information on the charging at other local cemeteries. The Treasurer said that she could ask the Contractor to provide this information at the next meeting, she reminded members that The Board does not make the actual decision on charges, it is asked to make a recommendation to Merton Council regarding the charges.

The Treasurer was asked about the indicative valuation decrease in the Cemetery Land of £135k, and replied that this was as a result of the loan taken out to cover the costs of laying out the newest part of the Cemetery. Appendix A, column 1 shows the adjustments made to get to a real fund balance, and Appendix E shows the repayment details for this loan.

The Board noted the Special Projects Budget, and that the Bearer Beams project was a priority. Members suggested that £20K for removing the greenhouses was expensive and noted that this included the costs of removing all material but that it would probably not cost this much. Members noted that the Greenhouses were currently costing a lot to heat and were a Health and Safety Hazard as they were not fitted with safety glass.

The Treasurer asked the Board to note the new style Risk Register, which is held on Merton Council’s system which can also show the history of each item on the register. The panel noted that the risk of a pandemic has been reduced, but that the risks associated with Brexit, as the contractor is an Anglo/French operator, and risks associated with the Pension Fund, as the fund is mature and about to commission the next actuarial evaluation, have both increased slightly.

The Board noted Recommendation 5; that Idverde be requested to provide comparative charging information to this meeting next year so that the Board may recommend Fee increases for the financial year 2020/21.  The Client Side Manager explained that more market intelligence is needed, and that some prices could come down following such a review. Idverde are best placed to look at the market and recommend what is fair and reasonable as they have the market knowledge

The Board returned to discussing Recommendation 6; that the Board should recommend to Merton Council a price increase of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Board received the Contractor’s Report. The Client Side Manager added that going forward funding was available for extending the digital mapping of the Cemetery.

The Board discussed the bins currently on site and noted that work is required to determine the most suitable bin solution – current bins are not big enough to accept wreaths, and so these then get left next to the bins, and then need collection. However large Euro Bins, wheeled bins, that could accept wreaths are visually intrusive and might not be acceptable in the cemetery setting. They are also difficult to empty as special vehicles are required. IdVerde need to do some work on to consider the best solution to bin provision. Currently idverde have a bin emptying regime.

Members noted that they were free to visit other cemeteries in the two Boroughs to see how their bin systems were working.

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.

By virtue of paragraph(s) 1, 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A

of the Local Government Act 1972.

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 20 November 2018 are agreed as an accurate record.

Update is Exempt by virtue of paragraph(s) 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A

of the Local Government Act 1972.

The Board received a verbal Update from the Client Side Manager, and requested a further update at the next meeting