Rotherham cemetery firm fined £500k by council over failings

The site at East Herringthorpe is one of a number run by Dignity Funerals Ltd on behalf of Rotherham Council

A firm which manages cemeteries for Rotherham Council has been fined almost £500,000 for "performance failures".

Dignity Funerals Ltd was hit with fines totalling £475,470 by the authority for contractual failings between April 2022 and November 2023.

A council meeting in 2022 heard experiences of damaged headstones, overgrown grass, brambles and poor facilities at graveyards.

Joy Newton, from the firm, said: "We recognise the need for improvement."

Rotherham Council signed a 35-year contract with the firm for the provision of bereavement services in 2008, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

That deal made the business responsible for capital works and maintenance of the East Herringthorpe Cemetery and Rotherham Crematorium along with maintenance of the eight other municipal cemeteries in the borough.

'Place of tranquillity'

The firm delivered an annual report for the authority's Improving Places commission in December but did not include the financial penalties.

Councillor Charlotte Carter told the meeting that "fundamental" details such as the fines should be included in future reports.

Ms Newton, Dignity's head of region, said the firm strove to deliver "a place of tranquillity where mourners can remember and say goodbye to their loved ones".

She added: "We recognise the need for improvement and our team in Rotherham have been working hard to meet our contractual grounds maintenance requirements and clear the list of outstanding actions whilst engaging with the local community to better understand their needs."

She said £1.5m was being spent to update cremation equipment with £300,000 earmarked to improve driveways and paths at Masbrough, Wath and Moorgate cemeteries as well as other improvements.