Telford council criticised for decision to sell £350k cemetery lodge issues lengthy defence

Last month councillors on Hadley and Leegomery Parish Council voted to sell the lodge at Hadley Cemetery.

The move has been met with considerable criticism from residents on social media, with a petition against the sale amassing more than 800 signatures.

The council has now issued a lengthy response to residents – arguing that the decision provides 'best value' by removing potential ongoing costs.

In the statement the council said that the building's maintenance had been neglected over the long-term, meaning the 'new administration' was required to carry out repairs when it took over in 2019.

It has been suggested that the repairs cost up to £100,000.

The building had also been occupied by a warden for the cemetery, but the council said it was no longer 'feasible' to provide 'free accommodation' for the role.

The statement said: "The cemetery lodge had been neglected over a twenty-year period, with just £24,495.84 being spent on its upkeep between 2004 and 2019. It is estimated that the average yearly maintenance of such a building could be around £3.5k (one per cent of the value), which would total around £50k to 70k over 20 years.

"In fact when the previous cemetery manager moved in, it was already in need of repair. In 2019 the new administration undertook that responsibility, and had the lodge renovated.

"This was during Covid, when the council also spent a large amount on support for residents."

It added: "Multiple possibilities were considered, as to what to do with the lodge moving forward. However, the decision to sell was taken due to it providing the best value to residents, with a definitive payment and ongoing savings on the upkeep of the building, in comparison to potential rental income, and the legalities and risks associated with becoming a landlord.

"The cemetery now has limited burial space. It is anticipated that there may be only eight to 10 years more capacity, and once full the cemetery will go on to be maintained by the parish.

"This has informed the decision-making process around how the cemetery is run moving forward.

"The council believe it is no longer feasible to provide free accommodation for this role to be carried out, and is using other more suitable and cost-effective methods of security, like CCTV to monitor the cemetery.

"We ask people to remember that most of the councillors also have relatives buried at the cemetery, so it is just as important to them that this is done correctly, and to a high standard."

The council has also revealed that it is considering moving into the chapel at the site as a new parish office – a move it said would ensure it could monitor the maintenance of the cemetery first-hand.

It said residents would be consulted on the plan.

The statement said: "We would like to reassure residents that the cemetery will continue to be as well looked-after and well cared-for, under the new cemetery management plan, as it has always been.

"We want to share one of the ideas we have around this and we will consult residents on this idea.

"The chapel is a lovely building situated in the heart of the cemetery. We would like to see this building used as the new parish office, meaning the clerk to the council and the deputy clerk would be onsite at the cemetery during the working week.

"This will enable the clerk to deal with any funeral arrangements and burials onsite – something that the previous cemetery manager had to travel between the cemetery and Hadley Community Centre to do.

"It would also mean that residents can access the parish office centrally, and possibly make a great community hub for small groups and councillor surgeries.

"We are looking to take the lodge – which none of our residents have access to, and bringing into use another, the chapel - that will be open and accessible to everyone.

"This would also free up two further rooms at Hadley Community Centre – which is also in need of some overdue maintenance, and hopefully improvements like solar panels etc, to make the building more usable and efficient to run.

"With the parish office no longer linked to Hadley Community Centre, there would be further possibilities around accessing grant funding for the centre, which is very difficult when the parish office is housed there.

"There are lots of projects that residents have asked us to fund, for example Haybridge Avenue play area improvements, more CCTV, road safety schemes and improvements (like the road next to HCC), and lots more. These are the exact kind of projects the proceeds from the sale of the lodge will pay for.

"We believe that it is the right decision to sell the lodge. To stop asking residents to pay for the ongoing maintenance of the lodge – free accommodation for one employee – and to put this money back in to invest across the parish for everyone."