Redditch Borough Council is to look at the provision of new burial space in the town.

A report to be published on 7 December will be considered by the borough council’s Executive Committee on 15 December and, as part of that process, the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee will pre-scrutinise the report at its meeting earlier that week.

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has extended public speaking arrangements specially for that meeting, making a doubled 30 minutes available for registered speakers to have up to three minutes each, including by video link, and with the ability to ‘pool’ minutes together for nominated spokespeople. Registered speakers can also submit statements of up to three minutes’ length in writing, to be read out by an officer at the meeting.

The meeting will also be live streamed on YouTube so that more people can watch proceedings if they are unable to join the public gallery at the Council Chamber in Redditch, which has a capacity of 25. This has been reduced from 70 under new measures since the Government's announcement of 'Plan B' in England.

Face coverings must be worn unless exempt.

While Overview and Scrutiny isn't a decision-making committee, it looks into council policy and issues of local interest to make suggestions and help ensure effective service delivery. It cannot include matters relating to planning applications, because the formal administrative process of determining planning applications is an independent function of the council as the local planning authority.

Overview and Scrutiny Chair Cllr Debbie Chance said: “Looking at issues in Overview and Scrutiny, which is made up of councillors who aren’t on the Executive, is an important part of our democratic process. It shines even more light on things that matter to residents and to the council, like this issue of burial provision that’s coming to Executive in December, and provides another opportunity for scrutiny and transparency of the councils decision-making as well as during Executive meetings.”

The Overview and Scrutiny meeting is on Monday December 13 at 6.30pm. Anyone wishing to register to speak should contact the council’s Democratic Services team on democratic@bromsgroveandredditch.gov.uk or 01527 64252 ext. 3031, and available slots will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

There is no statutory duty on the council to provide cemeteries, which can be provided democratically by the council, commercially by private business, or not at all. It’s a choice for the council to make and the report will detail the investigations into a number of potential sites.

Council Leader Cllr Matt Dormer said: “Cemetery provision is on today’s agenda, but it’s tomorrow it affects. You only have to walk through the beautiful old cemetery on Plymouth Road to see how far into the future these decisions reach. It only takes 30 or 40 years for any new cemetery to become an established part of our landscape, serving multiple generations of borough families as loved ones are laid to rest.

“The question set to come before us now after many years of exploratory work is whether we choose to make this provision ourselves, democratically, with the community having a say in it as a public service. That’s something the council is uniquely able to do compared, for example, to private cemetery developers.”

The Executive meeting on Wednesday December 15 also starts at 6.30pm.