SLCC News & Events

Memorial Safety Guidance Survey - Please Complete

Published 15th June 2009

At the meeting on 10 March 2009, it was agreed that the Ministry of Justice would undertake a small scale survey of burial grounds in the summer in order to obtain an indication of the extent to which the new guidance was being implemented.

Following discussions with Departmental statisticians, it has been decided to undertake the survey by sending a short questionnaire to 200 burial grounds (local authority cemeteries and Church of England churchyards) in England and Wales selected at random from the responses to the burial ground survey in 2005. In order to ensure a reasonable distribution between the different tiers of local government, and churchyards, we aim to approach 80 town and parish councils, 80 district, borough and unitary authorities, and 40 churchyards. A copy of the questionnaire is attached for information. It is expected to be issued to the selected addressees by 12 June, with a request for responses within 2 months. Thereafter, the intention is to analyse and report on the responses in the autumn, with a view to undertaking a larger exercise early next year.

Although members kindly offered to circulate the proposed questionnaire to their members on our behalf, it has been decided that it would be more appropriate, given the nature of the survey, for the questionnaire to be issued by the Department with a request for responses to be sent back direct. There is no reason, however, why members should not, for example, place a copy of the questionnaire on their websites, if they wish, and encourage completion and return of the questionnaire by the due date. 

Members are reminded that it would be helpful if they could report back to us, anecdotally, on experiences of implementation of the guidance, either in writing or at the next Advisory Group meeting on 29 June.

Download questionnaire.


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