Agenda item

8.1          Tower Hill Cemetery – to receive and consider the report of the Operations and Estates Officer (to follow) following a site visit on 27 June 2019

The Committee received and considered the report of the Operations and Estates Officer.  A site visit had taken place at Tower Hill Cemetery with several committee members to address concerns raised at the previous meeting. A discussion took place concerning deterring wild animals from eating funeral flowers, grass cutting around headstones and on a raft of access and navigational issues at Tower Hill Cemetery. Members were asked to forward any access complaints to the Operations Office and were reminded that if the gates were locked during the week there would a funeral taking place.

RESOLVED:   

1. that the report be noted;

2. that the Operations and Estates Officer provides the Friends of the Cemeteries Group with the name of wild animal deterrent spray in order for Cllr M Jones to pass onto florists and undertakers in Witney;

3. that the Town Council’s Grounds Maintenance contractors continue to be responsible for unlocking the gates at Tower Hill cemetery at the weekend, and as a back-up plan for a trial period;

a)       that the bollard inside the gate is removed by Town Council staff on Friday afternoons and returned on Monday;

b)      that the code for the Tower Hill gate lock be offered to the Friends of the Cemeteries in order for them to gain access to the cemetery in the failure of the above.