Agenda item

To seek approval to commence a procurement exercise to upgrade and refurbish Whitley Bay Crematorium and Cemetery.

Cabinet considered a report which sought approval to commence a procurement exercise in supporting the upgrade and refurbishment of Whitley Bay Cemetery and Crematorium.

The Authority operated two crematoria in the Borough (Tynemouth and Whitley Bay).  Both carried out around 1,000 cremations per annum. Following the completion of the upgrade at Tynemouth Crematorium in 2015 an improvement plan for Whitley Bay had been considered.  The cremators at Whitley Bay were approaching the end of their economic life and it was considered best practice that any replacement cremators were mercury abatement compliant.

The two cremators at Whitley Bay had been fully commissioned in January 2000.  They were nearly 20 years old and used outdated technology with no mercury abatement in place.  Historically, Tynemouth Crematorium carried out the most cremations, however, over the past few years demand for both Crematoriums had become similar.  This was largely due to residents from outside of the Borough choosing to use Whitley Bay. 

Details of the design and procurement upgrade at Whitley Bay Crematorium were outlined in the report. The Authority would be able to maintain a cremation service at Tynemouth Crematorium during the period of time that Whitley Bay Crematorium was closed for refurbishment.  Funeral Directors would liaise directly with families, so they were aware of the alternative options available in respect of the cremation service.

A competitive tendering exercise would be carried out for the provider of the cremation equipment. The overall programme of works was proposed to take place in the financial year 2020/2021 and was scheduled to take 26 weeks.

The Elected Mayor thanked all those involved in supporting this important upgrade.

Cabinet considered the following decision options:  Option 1: to approve the recommendations set out in paragraph 1.2 to upgrade Whitley Bay Cemetery and Crematorium including the installation of one larger size fully mercury abated cremator and commence a procurement.

Option 2: to not approve the recommendations and continue to run the cremators with no improvements and defer a decision to later a date. 

Resolved that (1) the upgrade and refurbishment and the provision of a new cremator at Whitley Bay Cemetery and Crematorium be agreed subject to approval of the budget by Full Council; and

(2) the Head of Environment, Housing and Leisure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Head of Resources and Head of Law and Governance, be authorised to commence a procurement and, subject to budget approval, award a contract to the bidder who represents the most economically advantageous tender.

(Reasons for decision: the Authority, as the Cremation Authority, is required in accordance with the Cremation Acts of 1902 and 1952 and the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008 to ensure that crematoria are maintained and in good working order. 

The cremators are coming to the end of their useful life and becoming more difficult to repair.  Not only will on-going maintenance costs increase but there is also a high risk of breakdowns.  Unplanned repairs would cause operational difficulties and potential distress for bereaved families.

If DEFRA increase the target for reducing the amount of mercury emitted into the atmosphere to 100%, the Authority would not be able to continue operating the current cremators.  The average number of cremations carried out at Whitley Bay Crematorium over the last three years was 1,015 per annum, 30% of these services were from outside the Borough.  The average out of Borough income equates to £225,000 per annum so there is a risk of losing potential future income as not all custom would transfer to Tynemouth.)