THE COST of fees and charges will remain the same at Bridgend’s Coychurch Crematorium this year.
The discussions over pricing came at a meeting of the crematorium’s joint committee where a report showed how charges had increased by 10.5 % in the previous financial year.
The cost of a crematorium service at the Bridgend facility is currently £824 compared to £635 at Margam in Neath Port Talbot and £1,030 in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Members of the committee said due to an increase in net surplus they would not increase the charges again this year in order to remain competitive and come more in line with neighbouring facilities such as Margam crematorium.
The freeze in charges also comes after a report from officers which said they expected to see a net surplus in the finances grow to £2.14m by March 31, 2025.
The report read: “It is proposed that fees and charges relating to cremation fees and ancillary services charges are not increased from April 1, 2024. This will assist to balance out the 10.5% increase in fees and charges in 2023-24 and prevent the gap in fees with Margam Crematorium widening further.”
Cllr John Spanswick added: “I think it’s a wise move not to increase the fees especially as costs are covered and there’s a surplus going in to the fund for the future work.”
The total number of cremations for the 2023 calendar year in Coychurch was 1,186 made up of 773 from Bridgend, 283 from Rhondda Cynon Taff, and 87 from the Vale of Glamorgan with 43 non-residents.
Members heard how this was down by more than 300 on the previous year due to the closure of the larger Crallo Chapel while extension works to the flower court building took place. It was noted that since the re-opening numbers had returned to normal and were expected to remain the same throughout the 2024-25 financial year.
Speaking at the meeting members said the service offered at the Bridgend site continued to be of the highest quality and praised staff for their professionalism with a customer satisfaction survey scoring 100%.
