Decisions

The Crematorium building at Haycombe needs some expansion to allow us to continue to manage the numbers of deceased efficiently and reverently at peak times, to ensure business continuity. It has become standard good working practice for modern crematoria to provide a sanitary, temperature controlled reverent space to hold deceased in coffins, following the funeral service, whilst awaiting cremation, which is part of the plan to improve Haycombe.

Temporary resting facilities were created outside the Top Chapel in 2020, in response to the Covid pandemic. Permanent additional cold-room space on the lower floor of the crematorium building is required to build resilience and enable a more effective service to be offered to our communities. The new cold-room will allow staff to triage more effectively the cremation throughput at times of higher demand and also will give contingency should we ever find ourselves in a pandemic situation again.

This will enable more local people in B&NES to hold cremations at Haycombe, (instead of ones in other areas), which also means bereaved families and many mourners will have shorter distances to travel in cars. Cremations can be held sooner after the bereavement which some families will welcome. It will also enable memorials to be placed in the grounds at Haycombe as the cremation location, clearly a much more local and closer place for bereaved families to visit. We will also be able to facilitate more "simple" funerals with direct cremations which are becoming more popular.

Manifesto commitments are: addressing climate change, delivers for local residents, focus on prevention, give people a bigger say

To fully approve £35k capital, currently allocated with provisional approval to Parks & Bereavement Infrastructure in the 2020/21 capital programme, for project delivery and spend in early 2021/22. This is funded by corporate borrowing.

The decision will move £572,180.00 provisional funding to full approval.

This project will promote the increase in the number of electric vehicles within the district by installing more electric charging points throughout the District and thus reducing 'charger anxiety', giving more opportunities for people to use electric vehicles and to allow this emerging market to develop more widely.

Approval to move £572,180.00 provisional funding to full approval.

Approval to move funding from provisional to full.

The Council as Highway Authority is responsible for the maintenance of Cleveland Bridge which is a Grade II* listed structure. A series for defects have been identified and the bridge is in need of refurbishment. Due to the extensive nature of the work, which will cost significantly more than the normal highways maintenance budget, an application was submitted for £3.81m under the Local Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund. This was granted by the Department for Transport in early 2020. £3.56m of funding is currently held as provisional within the Council budget and approval is sought to move the funds to final.

Approve £3.56m of Grant funding is moved from provisional to full approval to enable refurbishment of the bridge in 2021. fu.

Following consultation to fully approve the School Term & Holiday Dates for the 2022/2023 academic year.