Thursday, May 18, 2006
Labour Group Challenge Memorial Testing Policies and Procedures
Councillor Wormleighton, as Leader of the Labour Group.
The Labour Members wish to Call-In the decision of the Cabinet with specific reference to decision 3(a) that ‘the Council pay none of the costs of memorial repairs, excepting those monuments which are listed and require repair and where the deed holder cannot be traced’. The decision is called in for the following reasons: given that the Borough Council has a duty to test the memorials for safety, it was almost inevitable that it would cause distress and in some cases hardship for relatives faced with the cost of repair, which has occurred elsewhere in the country:-
(1) the Cabinet was aware of the Ombudsman’s commendation for Councils ‘to establish hardship funds to assist owners who cannot meet some or all of the repair costs’. This information was contained within Appendix 1 of Report W689 to the Policy Development Committee on 19 April 2006. A financial option (paragraph 4.3.1 (c)) contained within the options considered by the Policy Development Committee included ‘to pay for or contribute to the payment if the deed holder is unable to pay’;
(2) there was a minority report from members of the Policy Development Committee, the first time that this has occurred, indicating constructive dissent by some members to the Committee’s recommendation to Cabinet. The minority recommendation was ‘that assistance be provided to those deed holders who were unable to pay and are in receipt of a means-tested benefit’;
(3) the Cabinet’s failure to acknowledge ‘well-being’ as a factor for relatives in financial hardship;
(4) the consequences of the Cabinet’s decision will be to prolong the length of time that the environment of the cemeteries will be disturbed and further damage the reputation of the Borough Council; and
(5) paragraph 4.3.2 of Report W689 stated that ‘a contingency sum of £20,000 has been set aside for repairs to memorials’, which could accommodate a Hardship Fund should that option be implemented.
Councillor Wormleighton, as Leader of the Labour Group.
The Labour Members wish to Call-In the decision of the Cabinet with specific reference to decision 3(a) that ‘the Council pay none of the costs of memorial repairs, excepting those monuments which are listed and require repair and where the deed holder cannot be traced’. The decision is called in for the following reasons: given that the Borough Council has a duty to test the memorials for safety, it was almost inevitable that it would cause distress and in some cases hardship for relatives faced with the cost of repair, which has occurred elsewhere in the country:-
(1) the Cabinet was aware of the Ombudsman’s commendation for Councils ‘to establish hardship funds to assist owners who cannot meet some or all of the repair costs’. This information was contained within Appendix 1 of Report W689 to the Policy Development Committee on 19 April 2006. A financial option (paragraph 4.3.1 (c)) contained within the options considered by the Policy Development Committee included ‘to pay for or contribute to the payment if the deed holder is unable to pay’;
(2) there was a minority report from members of the Policy Development Committee, the first time that this has occurred, indicating constructive dissent by some members to the Committee’s recommendation to Cabinet. The minority recommendation was ‘that assistance be provided to those deed holders who were unable to pay and are in receipt of a means-tested benefit’;
(3) the Cabinet’s failure to acknowledge ‘well-being’ as a factor for relatives in financial hardship;
(4) the consequences of the Cabinet’s decision will be to prolong the length of time that the environment of the cemeteries will be disturbed and further damage the reputation of the Borough Council; and
(5) paragraph 4.3.2 of Report W689 stated that ‘a contingency sum of £20,000 has been set aside for repairs to memorials’, which could accommodate a Hardship Fund should that option be implemented.
