Several municipalities in North Brabant are looking for parties to take over the management of cemeteries. The cemeteries cost more than they yield and so some municipalities want to get rid of them, according to research by Broadcasting Brabant.
By law, every municipality must have a public cemetery. A majority of the municipalities that Omroep Brabant spoke to notice that fewer and fewer people are being buried and that more are being cremated. As a result, the amount that they have to contribute annually for the maintenance of the cemeteries rises: up to 185,000 euros in Land van Cuijk and 100,000 euros in Rucphen.
The money comes from public funds. “So it is not directly at the expense of something else, there is only less left,” said a spokesperson for the municipality of Rucphen.
take over cemetery
For the general cemetery in the municipality of Halderberge about 60,000 euros must be added annually. The municipality is therefore looking for a solution: “We are looking at the possibilities of transferring operation and management to third parties,” said a spokesperson.
Oss also wants to get rid of his cemetery. It is being investigated whether part of Hoogen Heuvel cemetery can be sold, so that the maintenance costs are no longer for the account of the municipality. “Operation has been in decline for years,” the municipality said.
Crematorium pays
The municipality of Son en Breugel seems to have found a solution for one of its cemeteries. A party from Drenthe will take over the management of the Wolfswinkel cemetery and may build a new crematorium in return. The cemetery can then be maintained with the proceeds of the crematorium.
In Roosendaal, the management of the general cemetery was already transferred in 2006 to an external foundation, which was then also allowed to build a crematorium.
‘Moral duty’
The fact that keeping the cemeteries open costs the municipality money is not seen as a problem everywhere. For example, Deurne (from 45 to 15 funerals per year) sees it as a “moral obligation to have a place where residents can bury their loved ones”. About 56,000 euros has been reserved for 2022 to be able to continue doing this.
In addition, Deurne deploys volunteers to reduce costs. This happens in more places in Brabant, such as in Dongen: “Volunteers contribute a lot to the maintenance of the cemetery,” said a spokesperson.
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