Cemetery fees

All bookings are subject to 3 days' notice (7 days for treble or quadruple depth) and additional fees may apply for shorter periods. The fee includes preparation and excavation of grave, matter and presentation where required, and attendance by cemetery staff, backfilling on day of service, all administration, entries in burial registers and cemetery plan marking and a contribution towards cemetery maintenance.

The fees do not include removal of any memorial or planting for which the applicant must arrange at their cost, prior to the commencement of excavation. All graves have a maximum coffin size (width and length) than can be accommodated and where any grave has been pre-purchased alternative arrangements may have to be made for any coffin exceeding these dimensions, which may include buying another grave.

Where any plants that cannot be easily removed remain, the authority reserves the right to cancel or postpone the funeral and/or make an additional charge for the removal of any tree or shrub. Where any planting is of such a size that removing it would affect the stability of any surrounding memorial or ground, the burial may be refused.

Fees and charges for 2023 to 2024

Full grave

Service offered	Resident	Non- resident
Interment fee up to 18 years: max grave length 1.8m (coffin length 1.65m).	£0	£0
Interment fee 18 and above to single or double depth	£850	£1,700
Interment fee 18 and above to treble depth	£1,050	£2,100
Interment fee 18 and above to quadruple depth	£2,000	£4,000
Two full burials undertaken at the same time, add to the interment fee	£200	£400
Saturday interment. Minimum 8 days' notice and subject to availability add to the interment fee	£750	£750

Cremated remains

Service offered	Resident	Non- resident
Cremated remains interment to a maximum depth of 900mm, additional depths may be necessary if the grave is to be re-used. Prices on application	£200	£400
2 sets of cremated remains at the same time to a maximum depth of 900mm, additional depths may be necessary if the grave is to be re-used. Prices on application	£250	£500
Saturday interment of cremated remains. Minimum 8 days notice and subject to availability add to the interment fee.	£200	£200

Other fees

Service offered	Resident	Non- resident
Extra digging. For example, for internal boarding, framework or covers. From	£275	£275
Relocation of spoil away from graveside prior to service or interment. From	£300	£300
Cost for less than 3 days' notice where the council incurs additional costs. Additional costs include hiring in equipment and providing staff from elsewhere. “Notice” means that a fully completed applicant must be deposited with Bereavement Services before Medway Council will start making any arrangements and note that it may not be possible to make all necessary arrangements within this shortened timeframe where resources are unavailable.	£200	£200

Service offered

Resident

Non-
resident

Extra digging. For example, for internal boarding, framework or covers. From

£275

Relocation of spoil away from graveside prior to service or interment. From

£300

Cost for less than 3 days' notice where the council incurs additional costs. Additional costs include hiring in equipment and providing staff from elsewhere.

“Notice” means that a fully completed applicant must be deposited with Bereavement Services before Medway Council will start making any arrangements and note that it may not be possible to make all necessary arrangements within this shortened timeframe where resources are unavailable.

£200

Public Health (control of disease) Act 1984

Service offered	Resident	Non- resident
Arrange funeral under the Public Health (control of disease) Act 1984, including full property search	£650	N/A
Arrange funeral under the Public Health (control of disease) Act 1984	£295	N/A

Grave purchase

The fee includes the Exclusive Rights of Burial for the registered owner for the agreed time period, maintenance of any grave space that is not covered by a memorial and the first memorial permit with a 'Right to Erect'.

The fee does not include the rights of ownership of the land, nor any right to place a non-approved memorial. All Right to Erect are for a maximum period of 30 years, renewable at the fee in place at the time of renewal.

All graves have a maximum possible width, consideration should be given at the time of purchase as to likely future coffin sizes. Coffins exceeding the available grave space cannot be accepted, even where the grave has been pre-purchased.

Grave selections

Service offered	Resident	Non- resident
Grave selection next-in-line	£60	£60
Grave selection	£175	£175

Adult grave purchase

Service offered	Resident	Non- resident
Exclusive Right of Burial (less than 30”): Adult graves 30 years	£1,150	£2,300
Exclusive Right of Burial (30” to 45”): Adult graves 30 years (wider graves require the purchase of 2 graves)	£1,325	£2,650
Exclusive Right of Burial (less than 30”): Adult graves 50 years	£1,800	£3,600
Exclusive Right of Burial (30” to 45”): Adult graves 50 years (wider graves require the purchase of 2 graves)	£2,087	£4,174
Exclusive Right of Burial (less than 30”): Adult graves 99 years	£3,500	£7,000
Exclusive Right of Burial (30” to 45”): Adult graves 99 years (wider graves require the purchase of 2 graves)	£4,037	£8,074

Child grave purchase

Service offered	Resident	Non- resident
Exclusive Right of Burial (6’ x 3’): Child graves 50 years	£750	£1,500
Exclusive Right of Burial (6’ x 3’): Child graves 99 years	£1,108	£2,216

Cremated remains grave purchase

Service offered	Resident	Non- resident
Exclusive Right of Burial (3’ x 3’): cremated remains graves 30 years (includes selection)	£650	£1,300
Exclusive Right of Burial (3’ x 3’): cremated remains graves 50 years (includes selection)	£1,050	£2,100
Exclusive Right of Burial (3’ x 3’): Cremated Remains graves 99 years (includes selection)	£1,700	£3,400

Extension of grave ownership

Service offered	Resident	Non- resident
Extension to Exclusive Right of Burial (EROB): Full grave 20 years	£715	£1,430
Extension to EROB: Full grave 49 years	£1,765	£3,530
Extension to EROB: Full grave 69 years	£2,415	£4,830
Extension to EROB: Cremated Remains grave 20 years	£465	£930
Extension to EROB: Cremated Remains grave 49 years	£715	£1,430
Extension to EROB: Cremated Remains grave 69 years	£1,115	£2,230

Woodland burials at Chatham Cemetery

Service offered	Resident	Non- resident
Exclusive Right of Burial: Woodland Cremated Remains (no tree) 99 years (includes interment fee)	£1,000	£2,000
Exclusive Right of Burial: Woodland Cremated Remains 99 years (includes interment fee and memorial tree)	£2,050	£4,100
Pre Purchased Exclusive Right of Burial: Woodland Cremated Remains 99 years (includes memorial tree planted after first interment) a separate interment fee will apply at time of burial.	£1,900	£3,800

Cemetery miscellaneous

Service offered	Resident and non-resident
Use of Cemetery Chapel (duration of service: 45 minutes)	£100
Children – use of Cemetery Chapel 0 to 18 (duration of service: 45 minutes)	£100
Private use of Cemetery Chapel	£200
Service times are 90 minutes in total (inclusive of chapel and graveside) where additional time is required each additional 45-minute period, or part thereof: (this cost may be trebled if prior warning not provided)	£95
Heating of Cemetery Chapel: October to April (per service)	£35
Re-open walled grave – from:	£325
Exhumation – from:	£1,450
Exhumation of cremated remains – from:	£500
Topping up and seeding of grave	£55
Alterations or Transfers of Exclusive Right of Burial (EROB) and duplicate EROB’s (for spouse, deduct £20.00)	£65
Genealogical search fee per surname and subject to date of Register entry	£22
Marking / identification of grave plot prior to visit – special request (minimum 5 days' notice)	£65

Medway eco-surround

These are intended as being temporary grave surrounds until a formal memorial is erected. The fee includes fitting and removal. Materials are recycled.

Service offered	Price
Permit for cleaning, planted areas etc	£0
30-year permit for small inscribed vase or tablet (less than 12”, 300mm)	£125
Additional inscriptions (no charge if undertaken in-situ and memorials not removed or detached from grave)	£90
30-year permit for the erection of a memorial or headstone 12” or larger	£250
30-year permit for the erection of full kerbs with cover slabs	£375
30-year permit for the erection of a memorial or headstone with full kerbs	£575
30-year permit for small kerbs (lawn section or cremated remains) and cover slabs	£225
30-year permit for the erection of a memorial or headstone with small kerb	£450

Cemetery memorial permits

Includes issue of permit, installation inspection and safety inspections during the 30-year period that the Rights to maintain a grave are in place.

Service offered	Price
Eco-surround: renewal of lease 1 year	£60
Wooden Cross (and other temporary marker) 1 year permit	£25
Woodland burial plaque (10 year)	£250
Woodlands burial plaque – extension of lease	£150

Charges include VAT where applicable.

Cemetery and crematorium fees