Monday 23 July 2012

Hendon Crematorium reorganisation - hiking up the charges


Stand by to read something rather shocking about how your Council regard your deceased relatives and friends. There is a rather odd delegated powers report on Barnet Council website. As ever with Barnet Council, the devil is in the detail. The document deals with the reorganisation of staff at Hendon Crematorium. This is is of special interest to me as this is where my deceased parents live.

The document can be viewed here

http://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s5050/1743-%20Restructure%20of%20Hendon%20Cemetery%20and%20Crematorium%20Service%20Team.pdf

The first rat can be smelled in paragraph 2.4. It says :-

2.4 The proposals provide ‘more choice, improved convenience and better value for money for the bereaved and recommend creating additional posts, funded by efficiency savings and additional income generation. The cost to the Council is neutral, but with potential for increased income.  
Then we look at the costs created by the restructure. This is what it says


So as you can see, they are adding extra management and other staff and are planning to charge the customers (people who have just lost loved ones) more money. At least I assume that is the plan, as I doubt that they will be renting out the crematorium for parties or bahmitzvahs.

Perhaps the most interesting phrase is in the Risks section

3. RISK MANAGEMENT ISSUES
3.1 I do not consider the issues involved are likely to raise significant levels of public concern or give rise to policy considerations as they are about improving our ability to address existing compliance requirements, service improvement and developing business opportunities. 

So there you have it. Barnet Council think that there won't be any public concern at the concept of turning your dead parents, babies and grannies into a business opportunity.

We'll see about that. I think that the proposal to turn tragedy into "a nice little earner" by the council stinks and is sick.What do you think?

2 comments:

Ron said...

When I die bury me in straight lace shoes
I wanna a boxback coat and a stetson hat
Put a twenty pounds note in the council's coffers
So the boys'll know that Crapita makes profits

Mrs Angry said...

The key phrase is 'potential for increased income'. This is because Barnet decided, rather late in the day, to add Hendon Crematorium to the outsourcing package as - & I apologise for the term - a 'sweetener' to attract the big boy outsourcing companies, who become very excited by the prospect of making profit from our dead family members. Death and bereavement offer a fabulous source of income because of course people will insist on dying, even in the earthly paradise that is Barnet. So keen were Barnet to use the dead as an added attraction, they spent £2 million of the money they say they do not have for social care etc to tart the crematorium up, rather than expect the bidders to spend their own capital. Like you I have many relatives buried here, and I feel utterly disgusted by their actions. But what else can we expect from this Tory council? Anything and everything is up for a quick buck, isn't it?