A Tayside council has been accused of exploiting bereaved families by introducing new charges for memorials.
Proposals have been unveiled to ditch one-off sales of permanent monuments at Perth Crematorium in favour of short-term leases. Grieving relatives will be forced to pay hundreds of pounds to ensure they have a place to remember their loved ones.
If they fail to renew their contract, their personalised plaque will be consigned to storage. A local undertaker has accused Perth and Kinross Council of being more interested in turning a profit than providing comfort.
“They have made a lot of money from the crematorium by exploiting families,” he said.
“You can get things a lot cheaper than the council charges, but they will not allow any other memorials to be placed in the gardens. They should really be charging a lot less, but because families want to have something, they are willing to pay for it, so the council continues to get away with it.
“Even if people don’t have the money, they will find it as relatives will offer to chip in.”
The undertaker, who did not want to be named, told The Courier he feared that expensive plaques could be binned and the memories of the deceased forgotten about.
Our source also accused the council of taking advantage of heartbroken parents by charging almost £200 for space in the children’s memorial garden.
He added: “The way they run the crematorium in Perth is a very successful money-making exercise.”
A report, which is set to go before members of the environment committee on Wednesday revealed that council memorials cost between £195 and £750.
The new proposals will see additional charges put in place, with prices starting from £145 for a 10-year lease, or a minimum payment of £220 for a 20-year lease and these existing terms can then be renewed for 75% of the initial period cost.
The local authority could make at least £10,150 each year from the plans, as deputy environment director Barbara Renton revealed 70 memorials are sold annually.
She said: “It is proposed to offer 10- and 20-year memorial leases in the future, rather than sales in perpetuity. Families would lease space for an inscribed plaque, available to purchase separately, which would then be placed on a council-owned memorial.
“After 20 years, a family could further extend the lease in at least 10 year increments. If it is not extended, or if the descendants cannot be traced, the memorial space will be offered for lease to another family. The plaque would be removed and returned to the family if they wished, or stored for a period in the absence of any descendants.”