Saturday cremations brought back at Clydebank Crematorium

After a motion brought by the Labour group, members of the public will be able to access the hall of remembrance at weekends to visit their loved ones.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Councillor Jim Bollan raised a further amendment for Saturday cremations to also be reinstated after public outrage over the decision to cut them, which was made back in March this year.

He said: “This is an extremely sensitive issue for the public of West Dunbartonshire.

“The increased service to bereaved families is hugely important.”

In his speech to council, he alleged that the report, which was presented earlier this year detailing the savings that cuts to cremation services would generate, was “incomplete”.

He added: “The council has lost £53,000 in income [from cuts to Saturday cremations], and apart from that, there’s a human element where bereaved families don’t have access to those services on a Saturday or Sunday.

“The figures are getting manipulated to do away with a service that the people in Clydebank predominantly are losing out on, and indeed people in other parts of West Dunbartonshire.”

Chief officer Gail Macfarlane argued that figures presented in March this year assumed that those booking cremations on a Saturday would rebook slots on weekdays after weekend slots were removed. As weekday services cost the council less, it was argued that this would save money overall.

Councillor David McBride, a Labour member who backed the original motion, said he understood the report that was brought to council this March and the “financial crisis” facing the council but still supported reopening the hall of remembrance, even though it would add to cost pressures.

If Saturday cremations and reopening of the hall of remembrance in the future do cost the council, money will be taken from the General Reserves Fund to cover the potential shortfall.

The vote was successful in reinstating Saturday cremations and access to the hall of remembrance.

Councillor Bollan said: “This is about choice for bereaved families.

“We should make sure that we are giving them as much support as we can.

“If we can’t deliver this for bereaved families, then I don’t know what we are doing as a local authority.”

In support of Councillor Bollan’s amendment, Councillor Sophie Traynor said: “It important that at the centre of this discussion remains the bereaved families and that is where the importance of this topic today lies.

“I’ve received a significant amount of emails, with many of my own constituents raising the concerns or upset about both the changes to the book of remembrance and about the Saturday cremations.

“This is an item of high sensitivity for our community, and I think it’s right that we’re taking the time today to look at and discuss both these issues.”

The date that these services will come into effect is yet to be released.