Urgent £640k repairs needed at crematorium - report

Problems with machinery at Kingsdown Crematorium in Swindon began in 2022 when the heat exchanger broke

Urgent repairs costing about £640,000 are needed at a town's crematorium, according to a report.

Problems with machinery at Kingsdown Crematorium in Swindon, Wiltshire, began in 2022, when the heat exchanger, which cools the air leaving the three cremators so it can be filtered before exiting the building through its flues, failed.

Since then, its flues and filtration system has also failed, with work also needed on the building's large canopy, cladding and tiles.

Councillor Kevin Small, cabinet member for finance, is set to ask senior councillors to approve the budget for the work.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, if approved, the council will need to borrow the money.

The report also said the failure of some of the parts had caused the council financial loss, with the council paying a fine of £45,000 per year because of the release of unfiltered gases.

It also said repairs to fencing were needed at Whitworth Road Cemetery.

"The cost of the repairs to the flues and filtration system is dependent on the scheduling of works as there are options around how the work is carried out," the report said.

Taking the facility out of action could cost the council a significant sum, it said.

The crematorium is expected to return a £730,000 surplus to the authority's finances in this financial year, but it only made that last year because there was a big underspend on repairs and maintenance.

If councillors approve the borrowing of £640,000, the council expects to pay back £80,000 per year for 10 years.