A co-ordinated approach to providing and managing burial grounds across Wales is needed to prevent a crisis within the next decade, warns the Church in Wales.
With two-thirds of church graveyards likely to run out of space and an estimated bill of £16m to maintain them, the Church is calling on local authorities and the Welsh Assembly Government to help out.
It proposes that:
- Once closed for burials, churchyards should be maintained at public expense by community councils or local authorities, as is the case in England;
- A Government Commission be set up to develop a coordinated and planned approach to providing and maintaining burial space between all providers;
- Discussion takes place at national and local level to explore ideas for looking after closed churchyards;
- An additional burial fee be charged to fund the maintenance of closed churchyards.
Alex Glanville, head of property services for the Church, warned that without help, churchyards across Wales would fall into disrepair.
He said, “The majority of churchyards will soon be full. Maintenance is generally good at present but there is significant repair liability which cannot be met by existing resources. Churchyards are a unique repository of information about our past and provide the story of the Welsh nation. Without help, this precious resource will deteriorate yet further.”
The Church owns 1,053 burial grounds which are maintained by each Parochial Parish Council. Income from burials does not cover the costs of looking after them. Two-thirds are cared for mostly by volunteers who give, on average 13 hours each month. That makes up 125,000 hours of volunteer time across Wales, equivalent to £1.3m of paid labour.
There are £16m of works identified for our churchyards with just £3.6m held in reserves to meet these costs.
A quarter of the burial grounds are full and 43% have fewer than 20 burial spaces left. The Church discourages the extension of churchyards or the use of new areas for burials unless sufficient financial support is in place to sustain them in the long-term.
The Church is putting its proposals to the Welsh Assembly Government, local authorities and community councils, following approval by members of its Governing Body at its meeting last week.
To read the full report on burial grounds, go to: http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/structure/govbody/apr10/docs/burialgrounds.pdf
