Request 101004073081

Please provide the following recorded information about memorial benches on land owned or managed by your council, including parks, gardens, seafronts, cemeteries and other public spaces.

1. Applications and demand
For each financial year — 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 — please provide:
a) The number of memorial bench applications received.
b) The number approved.
c) The number declined.
d) The number of memorial benches installed or existing benches newly dedicated.

Please use your existing annual reporting basis and state whether approvals and refusals relate to applications received in that year or decisions made during that year. If enquiries are recorded separately from formal applications, please provide those annual totals too.

2. Reasons for declining applications
For the same financial years, please provide the number of applications declined by recorded reason, where held.
For example, reasons might include insufficient space, the requested location being unsuitable, a scheme being suspended, or the application not meeting council policy.
Please use your existing categories; there is no need to create new classifications.

3. Current availability and restrictions As at the date of this request, please provide:
a) Whether the council accepts applications for new memorial benches, memorial plaques on existing benches, or both.
b) Details of any locations where applications are closed, paused or restricted.
c) The date each closure, pause or restriction began.
d) The recorded reason for each restriction, including whether it relates to insufficient space or the number of benches already present.
e) Any recorded reopening date or conditions that must be met before applications can resume.

4. Waiting lists and remaining capacity
Please provide, where recorded:
a) The number of applications or applicants currently on a waiting list, with a breakdown by location if available.
b) Any current published or recorded estimated waiting time.
c) The number of remaining spaces available for new memorial benches.
If applications are closed and no waiting list is maintained, please state this.

5. Existing memorial benches and policy
Please provide:
a) The total number of memorial benches currently on council-owned or managed land, using the latest available count and stating its date.