Bandon Hill Cemetery is considering a 3% increase to its fees and charges for the 2026/27 financial year. The proposed increase, intended to cover rising costs and maintain the cemetery grounds, was discussed at the Bandon Hill Cemetery Joint Committee meeting on 10 November 2025.
The proposed 3% increase applies to a range of fees and charges, including reclaimed grave purchases (resident and non-resident), burial fees (resident and non-resident, for various coffin depths and NVF/stillbirths), reopening of grave fees, cremated remains interments, common grave burials, memorial fees, transfer of ownership fees, and general fees such as those for oversized coffins, duplicate deeds, and exhumations. A detailed breakdown of the current and proposed fees can be found in the Fees and Charges 2026-27 document.
The recommended budget for the next financial year includes the 3% inflation increase for the grounds maintenance contract. According to the Report of the Treasurer, other expenditure has been inflated by 3-5% or changed to reflect the current forecast outturn for 2025/26 to better reflect actual spend.
The Report of the Treasurer also included a fees and charges benchmarking exercise, which demonstrated that the cemetery's current charges are below average for coffin burials more than 1 deep and memorial permit fees compared to other cemeteries, according to the Fees and Charges Benchmarking document.
The committee also reviewed the cemetery's financial health. As of Period 6, a surplus outturn of £26,641 is forecast. This underspend of £21,341 against the budgeted expectation of a £5,300 surplus is due to a forecast underspend on the grounds maintenance contract based on the 2024/25 outturn, and a higher than budgeted forecast for fee income based on the fee income actually received during 2024/25.
The recommended budget for 2026/27 results in a surplus of £42,000, which if achieved would increase the cemetery's reserve. According to the report of the surveyor, these reserves can be used to fund investment in the Cemetery grounds that goes beyond annual maintenance and repair budgets.
The report also notes that 3% is the minimum increase the cemetery is allowed to apply based on the guaranteed income terms within the council's contract with its grounds maintenance provider. Increasing beyond 3% would not provide any direct benefit to the Cemetery because of the current terms of the contract.
The Bandon Hill Cemetery Joint Committee met at the Cemetery Chapel, Plough Lane, Wallington. Councillor Scott Roche chaired the meeting. Councillors Edward Joyce, Sam Martin, Jayne McCoy and Mark Johnson were in attendance.
