Enhancements to Memorial Safety in Council Cemeteries
Perth and Kinross Council · 26 August 2026
Back to Finance and Resources Committee — 26 August 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Finance and Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 26 August 2026 Report Title: Enhancements to Memorial Safety in Council Cemeteries Report Number: 26/224 Report Author: Katrina Hartnett, Team Leader & Andy Clegg, Service Manager Organisational Lead: Elaine Ritchie, Strategic Lead – Housing & Communities ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this Report is to provide an update on the motion agreed by Committee on 22 April 2026, which requested officers to engage with elected members on developing an enhanced Memorial Safety Programme for Council Cemeteries that provides more engagement with lair owners, the local community and set out costs for implementing the required enhancements. 1.2 This report also provides assurance that the Council is meeting its statutory duties in relation to memorial safety and seeks approval for enhancements to communication, engagement and administrative processes, including considering removal of the lair transfer fee. 1.3 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation(s) 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5 Proposals 6 Conclusion 7. Impact and Value Assessment 8. Appendices
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2. Recommendation(s) It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Notes the statutory requirement for memorial safety inspections and the Council’s ongoing programme. 2.2 Acknowledges the challenges arising from misinformation and public reaction at certain sites. 2.3 Approves the allocation of: a) non-recurring funding in 2026/27 of £28,000 from the Communities Earmarked Reserve to deliver enhanced communications and engagement activity comprised of £15,000 for signage and £13,000 for the creation of an additional Clerical Assistant post for the remainder of this financial year. b) a recurring element of £40,000 will be included as an expenditure pressure in the 2027/28 Provisional Revenue Budget to make the additional Clerical Assistant post permanent. 2.4 Approves further consideration of removal or reduction of the lair transfer fee to help improve ownership records and support engagement with families. 3. Background/Context 3.1 The Council has operated a memorial inspection programme since 2019, following Scottish Government Guidance Appendix 8.1 issued in response to a Fatal Accident Inquiry. Since March 2025, inspections became a statutory requirement under The Burial (Management) (Scotland) Regulations Appendix 8.2. 3.2 Perth and Kinross Council manages 172 cemeteries across its burial estate. Approximately 24,000 of the 90,000 memorials have been inspected to date. The Council adopts a risk-based approach aligned with national guidance and industry best practice. No additional Scottish Government funding has been provided for this work and the current annual budget for inspection and ‘making safe’ works is currently £160,000, with total expenditure by the Council to date of approximately £1.1 million. 3.3 Memorials identified as posing an immediate safety risk are laid flat to remove the hazard and meet statutory requirements. Where necessary, this is followed by “socketing”, a recognised and reversible repair method that allows the memorial to be reinstated upright while maintaining safety. This approach goes beyond statutory requirements. Alternative approaches, such as staking and banding and cordoning, do not remove risk and require ongoing monitoring. In line with British Standards, smaller memorials under 625mm are considered lower risk; they are still subject to visual inspection and are laid flat when a high risk is identified.
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4. Main Issues 4.1 Responsibility for installing and ongoing maintaining of memorials rests with the lair owner. In practice, ownership is often not formally transferred between generations meaning records are not up to date. Memorials may fail the hand pressure test for many reasons, including age, deteriorated foundations and poor workmanship Burial grounds - rules and regulations - Perth & Kinross Council. 4.2 Since the early 2000s, the Council has provided the foundations for all new memorials to ensure they comply with industry standards. Lair owners are then responsible for commissioning a suitably qualified memorial mason to create and install the headstone. Although the Council has operated a memorial mason registration scheme since 2003, families may still undertake work themselves or use unqualified contractors. This presents challenges in consistently enforcing standards across all cemeteries in Perth and Kinross and inevitably some newer headstones also fail the stability tests. 4.3 The scheme has recently been strengthened, requiring all applicants to provide evidence of qualifications, insurance and compliance certificates. Membership is mandatory for any stonemason working within Council cemeteries, and if families want to use other masons, they must also meet the scheme requirements and be approved in advance. This is intended to support families in securing appropriate standards of workmanship. 4.4 Aside from the lair owners’ responsibilities, the Council has a wider duty to ensure public safety in its cemeteries, including the testing of all headstones. Whilst the Council follows a well-defined process including contact with lair owners where possible, and using qualified staff, the making safe of any memorials can, and often does, understandably cause distress to those who have an interest and limited knowledge of how and why it has been done. Information is provided on the Council’s website Perth and Kinross memorial safety programme - Perth & Kinross Council and in most cases, when officers have been able to explain the process and background to it, concerns are alleviated and people are assured that the Council are doing the work for good reason and with the greatest of care and respect. 4.5 However, misunderstanding of the inspection process, sometimes amplified through social and mainstream media, together with the sensitive nature of the work, has led to heightened public concern at some sites. In isolated cases, this has escalated to abuse and threats towards staff, requiring Police Scotland involvement and disrupting delivery of the programme. This creates risks for both the public and staff and can delay the Council in fulfilling its statutory duties. 4.6 Most lairs can accommodate multiple interments over several generations. It is therefore essential that interments only take place with the consent of the lair owner, making it important that ownership is formally transferred when required, typically following a bereavement. A fee of £59 is currently charged
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to partly cover the administrative costs associated with legal checks and updating burial records. 4.7 In many cases, this process is understandably not prioritised during a period of bereavement, which can result in ownership records becoming outdated. The associated fee may also present a practical or perceived barrier for individuals on low incomes. A comparison of fees charged by neighbouring burial authorities is provided in Appendix 8.3. Maintaining accurate ownership records is important to enable the Council to contact lair owners regarding matters such as memorial safety. However, the current fee arrangements have, in some cases, been perceived as the Council deriving income from a statutory public safety function, which is not the case. 5 Proposals 5.1 Given the highly emotive nature of memorial safety, it is unlikely that the programme can be delivered without causing some level of concern or distress. However, there is scope to reduce misunderstanding and misinformation through enhanced engagement. This would include improved digital information, advance notification of works, clearer written correspondence, and more visible and informative on-site signage. Several options were considered as set out in Appendix 8.4. 5.2 Administrative capacity within Bereavement Services has not increased since the programme was introduced, and existing staff have absorbed this work alongside an already demanding workload. Delivering a more proactive and supportive approach to engagement would require the creation of an additional permanent Clerical Assistant post (estimated cost £40,000 per annum). This would enable a more proactive and supportive approach to engagement with lair owners and members of the public. 5.3 Enhanced on-site signage would also help to improve awareness and reduce misunderstanding by clearly explaining the purpose and nature of the works, providing reassurance to visitors. This has been estimated as a one-off cost of £15,000, with the signage being reusable as the programme continues. 5.4 The costs of this proposal in 2026/27 will be funded from the Communities earmarked Reserve with the recurring costs from 1 April being included in the 2027/28 Provisional Revenue Budget as an expenditure pressure that will require to be funded. 5.5 Consideration could be given to reducing or removing the lair transfer fee to help address barriers to updating ownership records; however, this would result in an income shortfall of up to £15,000 per annum. A review would explore options for targeted fee reductions or waivers, alongside an assessment of the impact on service budgets. It would also consider measures to improve awareness of the need to keep lair ownership details up to date, supported by enhanced communications and engagement activity, including direct correspondence with local solicitors and undertakers.
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6 Conclusion 6.1 The Council is fulfilling its statutory responsibilities and is adopting a more proactive and comprehensive approach than many other authorities to ensure memorials are made safe in a respectful and appropriate manner. However, misinformation and limited engagement with the public and key stakeholders continue to present risks to staff safety, service reputation and public confidence. 6.2 Strengthening communications and embedding a more proactive approach to engagement will enable those affected to better understand the actions being taken, the reasons behind them, and the options available. Enhancements to the memorial mason registration scheme will further support improved compliance and consistent adherence to required installation standards. 6.3 Committee is therefore asked to approve the allocation of non-recurring funding of £55,000 from the Communities earmarked Reserve to deliver enhanced communications, signage and engagement activity, including the creation of an additional Clerical Assistant post in 2026/27 with the recurring costs included in the 2027/28 provisional Revenue Budget. 6.4 Collectively, these measures represent a significant step forward in reducing risk, improving compliance and strengthening public trust, supporting a more transparent, compassionate and effective approach to the safe and respectful management of memorials. 7. Impact and Value Assessment IVA Assessment.pdf 8. Appendices 8.1 Scottish Government – Memorial Safety Guidance 8.2 Burial Regulation Guidance 8.3 Lair Transfer Fee Comparison 8.4 Options Appraisal