KNUTSFORD Town Council is looking to resume managing Knutsford Cemetery from January 2020.

Councillors agreed on Monday to give notice to Cheshire East Council to end its agreement with the authority in relation to the cemetery.

A report by town clerk Adam Keppel-Green said directly managing the cemetery would give the town council full control over it and allow the council to introduce new services to offer a greater choice for cemetery users.

“Through a dedicated cemetery groundsman the standard of maintenance could be greatly improved, and additional features such as flower beds could be introduced,” he said.

“The direct management would lead to an improved standard of maintenance as was the result of taking on responsibility for public toilets, allotments and markets.

“Council staff involved in customer interface at the cemetery would engender local pride and contribute towards the establishment of a Friends group.”

Across Cheshire East Knutsford Town Council is the only town council which owns its cemetery.

From 1974 the cemetery management was undertaken by Macclesfield Borough Council, which changed to Cheshire East Council following further reorganisation.

The report said in 2012 the town council reviewed the management of the cemetery following an increasing number of complaints from the public about its condition.

However it was agreed to leave its management with Cheshire East after it indicated its intention to improve maintenance at the cemetery.

In 2014 Cheshire East established an arms-length company to manage its bereavement services and cemetery grounds maintenance, and last year the town council formalised the arrangements through a service level agreement with Cheshire East.

Town councillors considered three options, leaving the cemetery management with Cheshire East, taking it over itself or managing the cemetery and contracting out bereavement services and grounds maintenance.

Cllr Andrew Malloy said: “I have been very critical of the management of the cemetery for some time. Ever since Cheshire East’s arms-length company has been put in place to manage the cemetery what we have been getting has gone down and down.”

All the money for burials and cremations went to Cheshire East, he said, and the town council has had to pay for the extra work it had been carrying out at the cemetery, such as re-erecting headstones.

He said taking over direct management of the cemetery was the only way ‘to make sure we get the full service the cemetery and the people of this town deserve’.