Serving 5 Local Authorities

West Herts Crematoria Governance Arrangements

The West Herts Crematorium at Garston and the Hemel Hempstead Crematorium are owned and managed by the five South West Hertfordshire Local Authorities:

• Dacorum Borough Council ~ website: https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/
• Hertsmere Borough Council ~ website: https://www.hertsmere.gov.uk/
• St Albans City and District Council ~ website: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/
• Three Rivers District Council ~ website: https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/
• Watford Borough Council ~ website: https://www.watford.gov.uk/

Since 1 May 2024 these Crematorium have been overseen by the West Herts Crematorium Joint Committee under a lead authority model. This means that whilst each council has a councillor representative on the Joint Committee the day-to-day operation of both Crematoria is undertaken by one council on behalf of all. This is the responsibility of Three Rivers District Council. Three Rivers District Council employ all the staff who work at the Crematoria and are responsible for the provision of the service.

The Joint Committee is made up of one nominated councillor from each of the five councils and meets regularly throughout the year. Meeting dates are published on each of the five councils’ websites see above link.

The Joint Committee is supported by officers from the councils in its oversight of the crematoria. These include a Clerk who arranges all meetings and provides advice on governance, a Treasurer who oversees the budget provided by the councils for the operation of the crematoria, a Surveyor who advises on the upkeep of the premises and an Officer with overall management responsibility for the Crematorium Manager and their staff.

The Joint Committee has been given the responsibility by each of the five councils to exercise their responsibility for the oversight of the provision of crematoria services, it has an operational budget and can set fees and charges for cremations and the other services it provides.

Full details of the services offered can be found here (https://www.westhertscrem.org).

The Joint Committee is a corporate member of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) and adheres to the guiding principles for Cremation issued by this organisation. (Website:  https://www.iccm-uk.com/iccm/).

(A copy of this code is available on request.)