FOI Request - Elgin Cemetery
Request 101004038695
1. I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 regarding the maintenance, inspection and safety management of Elgin Cemeteries (Linkwood Road/New Elgin). Please provide the following information for the period from 1 January 2023 to the present:
a) Copies of all policies, procedures, standards and service schedules relating to the maintenance and upkeep of Elgin Cemetery.
b) Details of the planned frequency of grass cutting, weed control, grounds maintenance and inspections carried out at the cemetery.
c) Records of maintenance visits undertaken at Elgin Cemetery, including dates and the work carried out.
2. Details of any inspections or assessments relating to:
a) Excessive weed growth
b) Long grass
c) Sunken, uneven or subsiding graves
d) Areas of damaged or patchy grass
e) General safety hazards within the cemetery
3. The number of complaints received regarding the condition, maintenance or safety of Elgin Cemetery and copies of any responses, with personal information redacted.
4. Details of the budget allocated to the maintenance of Elgin Cemetery for each financial year since 2023.
5. Details of any planned remedial works, improvement programmes or reviews relating to the condition of graves, pathways or grounds maintenance at Elgin Cemetery.
6. Copies of any risk assessments or health and safety assessments relating to uneven ground, sunken graves or trip hazards within the cemetery.
Response 31-08-2026
a) The Council’s approved Management Rules for Burial Ground and Cemeteries can be found here.
Burials and Cemeteries service information can be found on the Council’s website at the following link: Burials and Cemeteries
A summary of information on cemeteries and burial grounds is available at this link
Information on charges for burial services, including the exemption criteria of out of area charges can be found at the following link: file160607.pdf
b)
Grass cutting: We aim to cut open areas fortnightly between April and October, except Elgin West section which is 4 cuts within the same time period
Strimming and edging: once per month during the growing season
Winter maintenance: weeding and grubbing – one visit per year
Weed control: two planned treatments per year
Hedge cutting: one cut per year
Holly Wreaths: removal of holly wreaths – one visit per year - mid February
c) Not recorded. Information that is not held is exempt under S.17 FOISA - information not held.
Not all are recorded, below from information held:
a) none held
b) 1 report – grass not cut due to a sunken lair and is now long 18/4/23
c) 14 sunken lair reports, 24/1/2023, 12/4/2023, 2/5/2023, 5/6/2023, 8/6/2023,3/8/2022023, 4/8/2023, 14/8/2023, 19/12/2023, 7/5/2024, 18/2/25, 11/7/2025, 25/7/2025, 28/7/25
d) 1 report of repairs to bare soil with seed and fertiliser – 4/11/2024
e) not recorded.
The number of complaints is between 1 and 5. Due to the low numbers involved, release of this information could result in the identification of individuals. This information is therefore exempt under Section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Personal Information.
No specific budget is allocated for the maintenance of Elgin Cemetery. Charges for burial services aim to support the cost of burial services including grounds maintenance across 63 cemetery sites.
The following reactive repairs are recorded for Elgin Cemetery:
Revenue
Pothole/road surface repairs Jan/Feb 2025 - £3500
Capital
2025/26- Wall repairs £7,823
No planned capital works currently
Revenue – repairs to sunken graves as time/resource allows
Please see attached:
RA 03. Applying pesticides in Open Spaces and streets
RA 13. Grass cutting with edging machine
RA 14. Grass cutting with strimmer
RA 26. Rose beds, Shrub beds, hedges maintenance
RA 34. Grass cutting with ride on cylinder mower
RA 46. Headstone area maintenance