Fees at Gwent Crematorium to Increase by 10% in Effort to Boost Revenue

Fees for services at Gwent Crematorium will go up by 10% from April in a bid to raise more income.
The increase will push up the price for an adult cremation by £85 to £930, and is projected to bring in an extra £137,000 in revenue.
The crematorium, outside Cwmbran, is a joint venture between site manager Newport City Council and landowner Torfaen Council.
At a stakeholder committee meeting in Newport on Wednesday (January 31), finance business partner Joanne Hazelwood said the crematorium’s income dropped this year “due to reduced hours as a result of refurbishment work”.
The committee heard that a damaged ceiling was being repaired, limiting the hours the site could open to mourners.
Service lengths have also been extended at the crematorium, meaning fewer can be held each day, Ms Hazelwood added.
Even with no fee increase, the site was expected to return a £430,000 surplus in the new budget – but this will rise to an estimated £568,000 when cremation charges go up by 10%.
The committee was told the crematorium would spend more than £265,000 paying back an outstanding loan for equipment, however.
Meanwhile, the planned installation of solar panels on the crematorium roof will go ahead after the structure was deemed strong enough to bear their weight.
The committee heard previously the panels could provide the site with about 15% of its current electricity demand and help save some £970 a year. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​