Minutes
Wednesday 18th October 2023
MINUTES – of a meeting of the Downham Market and Downham West Joint Burial Board held at Rouses Lane cemetery on Wednesday 18th October 2023
PRESENT –
Mr J.K. Fox (Chairman)
Mr S. Nunn (Vice-Chairman)
Mr C. Sampson, Mr R. Pegg and Mr F. Daymond
Mr P. Farrow (Administrator)
Ms A. Cook (Assistant Administrator)
APOLOGIES – none were received
INSPECTION – The Meeting discussed the Inspection in light of the Administrators’ Report.
ROUSES LANE CEMETERY
TREES – there are three from the pack of ten free trees that came from Norfolk County Council that are still alive and thriving. The dead trees in the other denominations area have now been removed; the area is ready for the contractor to plant one of the donated oak trees. There is a very large conifer in the Roman Catholic area which needs a serious prune as it is encroaching on several graves; the contractor is to do this.
FENCING – the contractor is to place three or four substantial posts along the damaged area and attach the existing wire fence to them, also any holes that are along the length of the fence are to be repaired.
NEW CHURCH OF ENGLAND AREA – this is now being used.
GRASS CUTTING – in light of the lack of funds, it was decided to trial reducing grass cutting to fortnightly instead of weekly; this is to be reviewed if this causes the cemetery to look untidy.
KING’S WALK CEMETERY AND CHURCHSIDE CEMETERY
WAR GRAVES – the Commonwealth War Graves Commission sign is now in place on the entrance to Churchside cemetery.
LOW HANGING BRANCHES – there are some low hanging branches in both of the older cemeteries; the contractor is to be asked to remove them.
CONSERVATION AREAS – it was decided that instead of cutting these back on alternate years, that only heavily overgrown parts should be trimmed.
The Meeting continued at 23 London Road, Downham Market.
MINUTES – It was proposed by Mr Pegg, seconded by Mr Nunn and carried unanimously that the Minutes for the Meeting held on Wednesday 19th April 2023 were approved and signed by the Chairman. The following points were discussed: -
MATTERS ARISING
MR M COLES RESIGNATION – a letter was read out by the assistant administrator from Mr Coles, in it he tendered his resignation due to ill health. It was proposed by Mr Sampson, seconded by Mr Daymond, and carried unanimously that the Board continue as they are, and a replacement is not to be sought at this present time. A letter of thanks for his service is to be sent to Mr Coles.
ACCOUNTS - these were discussed, income is up on last year but has dropped considerably in the past six months. Expenses were down, resulting in an excess of income over expenditure of £6,854 compared with an excess of expenditure over income of £18,154 for the previous year.
The Administrator, Mr Farrow, pointed out that the precept was higher during this year and without that we would have lost money again.
In the last six months there have been very few burials and we are paying double council tax charges, amounting to £3,438 for the year, on Cemetery House. Funds have dropped since March 2023 from around £19,000 to around £3,500. The Administrators have not had their fees for September yet and neither has the Contractor, but we are expecting a VAT repayment of around £3,900.
The accounts are to be audited by PKF Littlejohn. It was proposed by the Chairman and seconded by Mr Sampson that the accounts be approved, all members were in favour.
The Chairman thanked the Administrators for their work.
PRECEPTS – in view of the accounts position, the Chairman proposed that precepts should remain the same. They are at present £25,000, £24,010 from Downham Market Town Council and £990 from Downham West Parish Council. The Vice-chairman seconded this and carried it was unanimously. We will continue to make efforts to reduce costs where possible.
BURIAL FEES – The Borough Council have not increased their fees this year; it was felt by the Board, that bearing in mind the economic climate, they should also not increase their fees. The Chairman proposed no increases to fees this year, this was seconded by Mr Pegg, with all members in agreement.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
WEBSITE
The Chairman pointed out that there is nothing written about the Rouses Lane cemetery on the website; the Administrators are to look into this.
DOWNHAMWEB
The Administrators have been contacted by a member of the public from Downhamweb asking if the minutes are open for the public, so that they can appear on the Downhamweb site. Mr Pegg proposed that the minutes should appear on our website, this was seconded by Mr Sampson and agreed unanimously. There should also be a copy of the Accounts and fees on the website too.
CEMETERY HOUSE RENOVATIONS
The Levelling Up Department have been contacted about a loan to complete the house renovations. The County Council have said they will support our application via Downham West Parish Council.
A loan of £30,000 over 5 or 6 years, will bring the house up to a current minimum EPC level. A loan of £50,000 over 10 years, will ensure that the house is at a level that will not require any more improvements in the next few years, when the minimum EPC is set to increase. The Chairman proposed applying for £50,000 over 10 years, Mr Sampson seconded this, and all members were in agreement.
The Administrators are obtaining three quotes from builders for the work that is necessary; these will be reviewed once all are received.
THANKS – The Chairman thanked those present for their attendance and interest.
Chairman: Date:
Wednesday 19th April 2023
MINUTES – of a meeting of the Downham Market and Downham West Joint Burial Board held at Rouses Lane cemetery on Wednesday 19th April 2023
PRESENT –
Mr J.K. Fox (Chairman)
Mr S. Nunn (Vice-Chairman)
Mr R. Pegg
Mr C. Sampson
Mr F. Daymond
Mr P. Farrow (Administrator)
Ms A. Cook (Assistant Administrator)
APOLOGIES – Mr M. Coles
INSPECTION – The Meeting discussed the Inspection in light of the Administrators’ Report.
ROUSES LANE CEMETERY
TREES – The tree whips that were received from Norfolk County Council, that we thought were dead, are showing signs of life; we will be able to plant these out once they get a little larger. Downham in Bloom also have some oak trees that we can have if there is space for them. There are two trees that look dead on the other denominations side that could be replaced by one of the oak trees, then possibly one either side of the turning area near the fence and one in the corner of the new section of the Church of England side, near the fence and any remaining trees can be used in the new section where the allotments were.
FENCING – the fencing along the Church of England side has not been repaired yet and there were signs of a horse or horses having been in the cemetery. The contractors are to put a couple of fence posts in.
GATES – A member of the public has very kindly offered to rub these down and repaint them along with the tap surrounds again this year.
KING’S WALK CEMETERY
WALLS –The builder has now repaired the holes in the walls. He has been asked to provide a regular professional inspection and issue a report.
NORTH CHAPEL – roof repairs are now complete.
OVERHANGING TREES – A member of the public, who lives in The Towers, raised concerns again over the cemetery trees overhanging his garden being a fire hazard; there is one tree that could possibly be of concern, and this could be trimmed back and there are a couple of small trees close to the boundary that can be removed.
CHURCHSIDE CEMETERY
BENCH – A member of the public has now renovated the old bench kept in the North Chapel, he has also spruced up the other three benches which are placed in Rouses Lane. He would accept no payment for this. A letter of thanks is to be sent to him.
The Meeting continued at 23 London Road, Downham Market.
MINUTES – It was proposed by Mr Pegg, seconded by Mr Sampson and carried unanimously that the Minutes for the Meeting held on Wednesday 12th October 2022 were approved and signed by the Chairman with an amendment to the proposed purchase of land which should read to the West not East as pointed out by Mr Sampson. The following points were discussed: -
MATTERS ARISING
CEMETERY HOUSE – The Administrator has been looking into possible bank loans to help with the renovations and insulation of the house but none of the banks will lend the Board any money. He then contacted the Public Works Loan body, who pointed him in the direction of the Levelling up Department at the Treasury. The Levelling up department said that as the Board is funded by two councils, it would be more favourable for one of those to apply for the loan.
A rough estimate for replacing the toilets, washbasins and bath, re-wiring the electrics, replacing all flooring, re-decorating and cleaning and possibly replacing the boiler, which is now around 13 years old and hasn’t been used for the past 3 or 4 years, would be somewhere in the region of £27,000, so it was decided to apply for £30,000 to be on the safe side. Mr Pegg said that he thought that Downham West Parish Council would be willing to apply for the loan and that he would have a word with the Clerk.
Mr Fox proposed going ahead with the loan and the work, this was seconded by Mr Sampson and carried unanimously.
BURIAL PROBLEM
The Administrator has now met with the member of the public and has asked what they want the Burial Board to do, and they have said that they just want it not to happen to anyone else. They also said that they never received an invoice for the plots; this was sent to the funeral directors and when the Administrator meets with them again, he will show them a copy of the invoice sent to the funeral director. The Chairman said that as far as he could see the Administrators had done nothing wrong and that the funeral directors should have known which of the plots to use.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS
Chairman – Mr Fox and Vice-Chairman – Mr Nunn – it was proposed by Mr Sampson, seconded by Mr Pegg and carried unanimously that both should remain in their positions. Mr Fox and Mr Nunn both said that they were happy to carry on as Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively. No other nominations were received.
WAR GRAVES – The Board has been approached by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to place a sign on the entrance to Churchside cemetery stating that there are war graves within the cemetery. It was decided that a sign should be placed on the pillar near the existing Churchside sign, this is to be the smaller 210mm x 150mm sign.
THANKS – The Chairman thanked those present for their attendance and interest and thanked the Administrators for their efforts.
Chairman: Date:
Wednesday 12th October 2022
MINUTES – of a meeting of the Downham Market and Downham West Joint Burial Board held at Rouses Lane cemetery on Wednesday 12th October 2022
PRESENT –
Mr J.K. Fox (Chairman)
Mr S. Nunn (Vice-Chairman)
Mr C. Sampson, Mr R. Pegg, Mr F. Daymond and Mrs D. Stevens
Mr P. Farrow (Administrator)
Ms A. Cook (Assistant Administrator)
APOLOGIES – were received from Mr M. Coles
INSPECTION – The Meeting discussed the Inspection in light of the Administrators’ Report.
ROUSES LANE CEMETERY
TREES – the pack of ten free trees that came from Norfolk County Council look like they have all died; they were very small whips and have not survived the drought.
Mr Daymond will arrange with the contractor to pick up the five small oak trees from Friends of the Willows; the contractor will then liaise with the Administrator as to where to position them.
FENCING – it was noticed that part of the fencing along the Church of England side has gone down, it is difficult to work out why, whether this was caused by the horses in the neighbouring field, vandalism or natural causes; new posts are needed to repair it.
KING’S WALK CEMETERY
WALLS –we are still awaiting the builder to inspect and repair any holes in the walls.
NORTH CHAPEL – the Chairman voiced his concerns that the roof repairs are still not complete; the Administrator is to contact the builder.
HOUSE – The property remains empty. The garden is looking overgrown and untidy; the contractors are to be asked to tidy it.
The Administrator has spoken to Mr Roberts of Ashton Roberts; he has advised that if we obtain three quotes for insulation and these are over £3000, we can then apply for exemption. Once we have received the exemption, we can get the electrics tested, the house cleaned, decorated and new flooring laid, he would then be able to let the property for us. Mr Roberts also said that we probably wouldn’t be able to get the same level of rental income that we previously had and that we would have to be careful who it was rented out to because of the lack of insulation. This seems to be a good solution to the problem as we are now paying double council tax fees because the property has been empty long term. The Chairman proposed Ashton Roberts to manage the property, once ready for renting out, this was seconded by Mr Nunn and agreed unanimously by the Board.
The Administrator is to arrange an electrician to test the electrics and obtain a quote for any work that is required.
It may be necessary to obtain a loan to complete the worked needed to get the property ready to rent out; the Administrator is to obtain quotes for this.
ROADWAY – we received a complaint from a resident who lives in The Towers, that we had put a roadway in along the dividing wall; the drought may have killed off some of the grass but other than that this doesn’t look very different to how it normally looks.
OVERHANGING TREES – another resident, who also lives in The Towers, raised concerns over the cemetery trees overhanging his garden and being a fire hazard during the drought; there is only one tree that could possibly be of concern, and this could be trimmed back. He had a man from the council visit to check them out, but we have heard nothing since.
CHURCHSIDE CEMETERY
BENCH – the old bench kept in the North Chapel is to be refurbished over the winter and used in the Churchside cemetery; Mr Thomas is to be asked to do this.
The Meeting continued at 23 London Road, Downham Market.
MINUTES – It was proposed by Mr Nunn, seconded by Mr Pegg and carried unanimously that the Minutes for the Meeting held on Tuesday 5th April 2022 were approved and signed by the Chairman. The following points were discussed: -
MATTERS ARISING
ADDITIONAL LAND – Mr Barker was contacted by the Administrator to enquire as to the appropriateness of the land to the East of the cemetery; he said that this would not be suitable.
ACCOUNTS - these were discussed, income is considerably down on last year and expenses remain similar, resulting in an excess of expenditure over income of £18,154 compared with £8,206 for the previous year.
The Administrator, Mr Farrow, pointed out that fees this year were down £8,000, and no house rental income was received.
Rates have increased again this year as double fees are now payable for Cemetery House. We have also had wall repairs of £2,468.
The bank accounts at present total £13,000, but the Administrators have not had their fees for April and July yet.
The accounts are to be audited by PKF Littlejohn. It was proposed by Mr Nunn and seconded by Mr Pegg that the accounts be approved, all members were in favour.
Mr Daymond requested that in future, electricity be separated from sundry expenses and pest control.
PRECEPTS – in view of the accounts position, the Administrator suggested that precepts should be increased by a significant amount. They are at present £15,000, £14,405 from Downham Market Town Council and £595 from Downham West Parish Council. The Administrator enquired as to whether a smaller increase to the precept plus a one-off amount would be possible, but it was felt by the Board that this would not be acceptable and that the one-off amount would probably be voted against by the Council. After much discussion over what was deemed acceptable as an increase, the Vice-chairman proposed an increase of £10,000 to £25,000 this was seconded by Mr Sampson and carried unanimously. Downham Market Town Council will increase by £9,605 to £24,010 and Downham West Parish Council will increase by £395 to £990.
BURIAL FEES – The Borough Council have increased some of their fees quite substantially; it was felt by the members that The Board should increase their fees to keep in line. The Chairman proposed the acceptance of the draft fee increases, this was seconded by Mr Sampson, with all members in agreement.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
BURIAL PROBLEM
The issue with is still ongoing and Mapus-Smith & Lemmon LLP have now received a complaint about Mr Farrow. At the time, purchased two separate plots, one for her husband and one for herself. She was sent a map showing these plots and was happy with them. The map was then sent to Thornalley Funeral Services, who should have been aware that husbands are often buried on the left-hand side, proceeded to bury her husband in his plot. When the paperwork came back from Thornalley’s it was amended to a double plot. Almost seventeen months later a memorial request was received from Richard King, which did not state which side he proposed engraving on. Then almost two years after burial, the stone was placed, and the stonemason said that he had been buried on the wrong side. The Administrator has written to on several occasions suggesting a meeting to discuss the matter and to ascertain what actually wants as this is not clear in any of her correspondence.
ALLOTMENTS – The Administrators have received an email from the Town Council with some questions from the allotment association regarding vacating half of the allotment area. These were discussed and answered as follows: -
1. The gate could remain until 1.4.2025.
2. The gravel path can stay.
3. The car park can stay for now but as soon as we need to use the land for burials it will have to move.
4. The water pipe will remain where it is and be extended when necessary.
5. Yes, we can take back to row B and leave row C in the allotments.
6. The trees can all remain where they are, they will only be removed if they are in line with roadway through the current cemetery.
7. The roses can remain
8. The land just needs to be kept tidy by trimming back once or twice a year.
9. The drainage hole has been noted.
The Vice-chairman commented what an excellent job the Administrators are doing, this was agreed by the members.
APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS
This is to be done at the next meeting in April 2023.
THANKS – The Chairman thanked those present for their attendance and interest and thanked the Administrators for their work.
Chairman: Date:
Tuesday 5th April 2022
MINUTES – of a meeting of the Downham Market and Downham West Joint Burial Board held at Rouses Lane cemetery on Tuesday 5th April 2022
PRESENT –
Mr J.K. Fox (Chairman)
Mr S. Nunn (Vice-Chairman)
Mr M. Coles
Mr C. Sampson – did not attend the meeting at 23 London Road due to Covid
Mr F. Daymond – did not attend the meeting at 23 London Road due to another commitment
Mr P. Farrow (Administrator)
Ms A. Cook (Assistant Administrator)
APOLOGIES – Mr R. Pegg
INSPECTION – The Meeting discussed the Inspection in light of the Administrators’ Report.
ROUSES LANE CEMETERY
TREES – the pack of ten free trees have been received from the Norfolk County Council. These will be used to replace the lost trees and any remaining trees will be placed along the fence between the cemetery and the allotments, forming a line for when the fence is removed. Mr Daymond has been offered some oak trees from the Friends of the Willows; it was felt that we could find a place for five, with one of them being placed in the middle of the line along the fence, in line with the tree on the flat tablet area.
HEDGE – the hedge along the back of the Church of England side has been trimmed back and looks very tidy.
RABBITS – there are quite a few rabbit holes appearing in the cemetery again and one very large one; this will need to be monitored.
GATES – a member of the public has very kindly offered to rub these down and repaint them along with the tap surrounds. A letter of thanks is to be sent to him.
KING’S WALK CEMETERY
WALLS –the builder is to be asked to repair the new holes in the walls. As not all damage is surface damage, he is also to be asked to provide a regular professional inspection and issue a report.
HOUSE – The property remains empty. Signs of damp have appeared on the chimney breast wall and the wall in the kitchen where the boiler is.
NORTH CHAPEL – roof repairs are ongoing.
CHURCHSIDE CEMETERY
BENCH – the member of the public who is painting the gates, is to be asked if he would be interested in renovating the old bench kept in the North Chapel; The Board are happy to pay him for his time.
The Meeting continued at 23 London Road, Downham Market.
MINUTES – It was proposed by Mr Nunn, seconded by Mr Coles and carried unanimously that the Minutes for the Meeting held on Wednesday 27th October 2021 were approved and signed by the Chairman. The following points were discussed: -
MATTERS ARISING
ADDITIONAL LAND – still no progress in the possible purchasing of additional land. Mr Sampson suggested contacting Barkers with a view to purchasing the land to the west of the cemetery; Mr Barker is to be contacted by the administrator to enquire as to the appropriateness of the land as this was previously used as a pit for carrstone and sand.
MAINTENANCE OF OLDER CEMETERIES – as the Board have relatively low funds it was thought that the brambles could possibly be cut back alternate years instead of both sides being cut back each year. The Administrators will monitor the brambles for overgrowth.
PRECEPTS – following on from the October 2021 meeting, these were increased to £15,000: £14,405 being Downham Market Town Council contribution and £595 Downham West Parish Council.
CEMETERY HOUSE – The Chairman and the Administrators have investigated any possible grants to help with the renovations and insulation of the house but have had no luck so far; most grants are either available for premises that are to be used as a community building or are for tenants and not landlords. Another way to raise the money is through a Public Works Loan, this is a possibility as The Board is a precepted entity. The Administrators are to look into this further with a view to borrowing £20,000 over say 10 years.
DOG SIGNAGE IN CEMETERIES – larger signs are to be placed in the cemeteries to remind dog owners to control their dogs in the cemeteries.
BANK ACCOUNT – paperwork is to be chased up by the Administrator so that Mr Nunn can be added as a signatory on the bank accounts.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
ALLOTMENTS – The Administrators have been approached by the Town Council with a request to extend the notice period on the allotment land. At present the allotments are due to vacate the land and return it to its original state by 1st April 2023, they would like this extended by one or two years to give them longer to find alternative ground. After some discussion it was decided to offer them half of the land for a further two years, this would be the land furthest away from the cemetery which might cause problems with the allotment holders nearest the fence. If they agree, a new lease agreement is to be drawn up to reflect this. The rent would remain the same.
WEBSITE – the new website is now up and running.
THANKS – The Chairman thanked those present for their attendance and interest and thanked the Administrators for their work.
Chairman: Date:
