Nearly £700,000 needed over three years for ‘significantly higher’ energy bills at Mansfield Crematorium

More than £200,000 is expected to be added to budgets for each of the coming three financial years, fuelled by bills that are “significantly higher” than originally forecast.

A council report says running costs for the Derby Road site will be £585,394 for the 2023/24 financial year – when budgets were set earlier this year, costs were expected to be £373,745, meaning there has been a rise of £211,649.

Finance bosses at Mansfield Council say costs far exceed those expected this time last year for both the building and its cremators.

The sum is also expected to rise in 2024/25 and 2025/26. The budget had been set at £379,208 for each year, but is now expected to cost £601,356 and £617,923 respectively.

These are increases of £222,148 and £238,715 for the respective years, meaning the total extra spending is £672,512 over the coming three years.

Gas price increases are the main cause of these rises, with £167,606 of the 2023/24 increase attributed to rising gas bills, alongside a further £46,895 through electricity increases, with an additional £504 needed for water rates and £1,213 in insurance fees.

In a report on the costs, Dawn Edwards, council head of finance, said: “The main cause of the increase relates to gas and electricity.

“Budgets have been updated with the latest price, which is significantly higher than the current contract price.”

It comes as Mansfield Council, Ashfield Council and Newark & Sherwood Council plan a new crematorium to serve the three areas.

Exempt reports on the plans have meant no detailed information has been released about the new site, including where it could be based, but newly published papers confirm it is expected to cost £4.6 million.

The figures will be reviewed at the next meeting of the Mansfield and District Joint Crematorium Committee, which has representatives from the three councils, which are all responsible for managing and maintaining the site.

Last month, Mansfield Council also revealed plans to build a new cemetery due to capacity issues at the crematorium’s graveyard.

The new site is planned near the Lindhurst Development, on the A617 MARR road, and is expected to provide 13,220 graves over 40 years.