12 January 2026 Cemetery Committee
Draft minutes subject to approval at the next meeting.
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Minutes of the Cemetery Committee meeting held at Pinchbeck Hub & Library at 19:00 Monday, 12 January 2026.
Present: Cllr Oliver Wood (Chair for the meeting), Cllr James Avery, Cllr Emma Beavis, Cllr Peter Ruysen, Mr Robert Smith (Clerk), Ms Nicola Jowett (Administration Assistant).
Absent: Cllr Terry Moore, Cllr Ann Savage.
26.01. Election of Chair
It was RESOLVED to elect Cllr Wood as Chair for the meeting.
26.02. Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Moore.
26.03. Declarations of interest and requests for dispensation
There were no declarations of disclosable interests nor requests for dispensation.
26.04. Minutes of the previous meeting
It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 20 October 2025.
26.05. Blue Gowt Lane Cemetery completion works
It was RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to Full Council a reduction in the amount of work to be undertaken in 2026-27, compared with the previous quotation provided by Gunns & Roses Ltd. Specifically:
i.To defer planting of yew hedging until 2027-28, unless alternative finance (such as a grant) can be sourced.
ii.To proceed with water supply works within the current financial year.
iii.To reduce the extent of the headstone concrete strips from covering four burial rows (175m x 1.2m) to covering two rows (87m x 1.2m).
iv.To proceed with the new tarmac footpath, but to obtain an additional quote.
v.Not to proceed with the pre-installation of concrete pads for memorial benches. These, along with the benches themselves, would be expected to be financed at the time by those wishing to donate a memorial bench, to which a £200 Parish Council administration and asset contribution would be charged (at current prices).
26.06. Next Meeting
It was RESOLVED to hold the next meeting at 18:00 on Monday 09 February 2026.
26.07. Exclusion of press and public
It was RESOLVED that, in accordance with s.1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, the press and public be excluded for the following item on the grounds that it may involve the likely disclosure of sensitive or confidential information relating to cemetery records, grave locations, and personal data.
26.08. Mapping investigation work
The Clerk provided an update about mapping and investigation work being undertaken at Cherry Holt Lane Cemetery.
26.09. Cemetery customer appeals
i.Following an appeal to approve the installation of a raised desktop-style tablet memorial within a grave plot, and noting that the rules and regulations permit only one upright headstone within a plot, it was RESOLVED (without precedent) to allow a fully flat memorial tablet, without any vase holder, to be installed at ground level. This was subject to the receipt of a suitable application for the usual approval of the design by the Clerk.
ii.A request to allow the burial of the cremated remains of a pet with the owner within a cremated remains plot would be given further consideration at a future meeting, following receipt of additional information from the Clerk.
The Chair closed the meeting at 19:57.