WILL COUNCIL TAXPAYERS FOOT BILL FOR ASTRONOMIC COST OF PET CREMATORIUM?

Works is proceeding steadily on proposed pet crematorium

WORKS to install a specialist pet cremation unit  at Grimsby crematorium will cost a staggering £250,000.

This is the figure stated in documents seen by the Grimsby News.

It is not clear, however, if this sum covers just the cost of the new building or if it will also pay for the pet cremator and ancillaries such as a loading tray and hydraulic lift for heavier animals.

The contract for the new building was won by Grimsby firm Topcon.

Hats off to its team are working flat-out weekends as well as weekdays to complete the project.

Alas, to the inconvenience of mourners and undertakers, it is understood some human funerals have had to be delayed while construction of the pet facility proceeds.

The concept of the same premises being used  for both human and pet funerals has sparked controversy.

Some have even described it - somewhat fancifully - as the equivalent of allowing pets to be treated on the same wards as people within the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.

Meanwhile, it is not known if the huge bill for the project will be met by North East Lincolnshire Council or by its private-sector partner, Engie, which came up with the scheme.

Nor is it known if any of the modest income likely to be  generated from pet funerals will accrue to council taxpayers or to Engie's shareholders.

Neither NELC nor Engie have yet set proposed prices for pet funerals, but these will be benchmarked against those in the private sector where size of the animal is what counts.

For a creature smaller  than a rabbit, a funeral could typically cost £300 or less, while for a large dog it could be upwards of £500.

It is understood the cremator will not be large enough to accommodate a donkey or a horse.

However, it is thought that very few pet-owners will make use of the facility, with most continuing to dispose of  deceased pets by burying them in the garden.

The Grimsby News says: To use the same premises to accommodate funerals both for people and for pets  reflects incredible insensitivity. What is more, this misguided project is commercially absurd - it will never begin to cover its costs.  It is astonishing that senior officials at NELC have allowed it to proceed - they must all have been sharing a dopey moment. If Engie was so eager to build a pet crematorium, it should have chosen a plot of land elsewhere instead of manoeuvring its way into what is perhaps the most solemn and hallowed site within NELC's portfolio of assets.