News

Ashfield council plans to contribute £2 million towards £7m crematorium refurbishment

By Latifa Yedroudj, Junior Local Democracy Reporter

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Ashfield District Council plans to contribute £2 million towards the refurbishment of Mansfield Crematorium.

The project was discussed at a meeting of the council’s cabinet on Monday, March 17.

The £2 million investment will see the facility undergo extensive building works.

Mansfield & District Crematorium serves the areas of Ashfield, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood and sits on Derby Road just off the A60,

The crematorium refurbishment will include the installation of electric cremators, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and heat recovery systems to support the council’s commitments to decarbonisation.

A total of £7.37 million will be invested into the project by local councils. Ashfield will cover its share through a loan and Joint Crematorium reserves.

The Joint Committee requested contributions from all three councils, of which Ashfield’s share would be £2million.

The crematorium currently operates two chapels and runs three gas-fuelled cremators.

It has a capacity of 5,088 cremations a year when fully operational.

The crematorium is run by the Joint Crematorium Committee (JCC), which consists of three representatives each from Ashfield District Council, Mansfield District Council and Newark and Sherwood District Council because the site is used by people from across the area.

The JCC met on 24 February 2025 and agreed to recommend that the councils undertake the refurbishment programme.

Ashfield District Council’s cabinet approved the recommendations with a majority vote.

Cllr Tom Hollis (Ash Ind) is Ashfield District Council’s representative.

Praising plans for the investment, he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It is a much-loved facility, and I am really pleased its going to get a lick of new paint.

“I’m happy that the council is getting on with it, the refurbishment is much needed. It will be eco-friendly with four brand new electric cremators which is good for the environment.

“The wake facilities will be improved with digital screens, and the remembrance garden will also be improved. It’s something very important to me personally.

“One of my grandmas was cremated there 6 months ago and I’m going in 10 days time to cremate my other grandma who recently passed.

“Many residents in Kirkby and Mansfield use the crematorium, but it has not had investment in years.

“This project will be great for the district.”

The crematorium generates about £400,000 a year in revenue from its services, documents say. The funds are then put into services across Ashfield.

Works are expected to begin in the next 12 months.

The crematorium will remain fully operational while building work takes place, Cllr Hollis said.

The £2 million will be borrowed through prudential borrowing, documents say.

Documents read: “The purpose being to provide a modern, more aesthetically pleasing, improved functionality, a more efficient operation and an
enhanced range of offers for bereavement services that meet changing demands.

“It is projected that through refurbishment, cremation throughput would increase which, coupled with a more efficient operation, would retain and then increasing annual operating surplus.”