Anger at ‘morally indefensible’ Torbay memorial bench charges

Torbay Council has been accused of exploiting the grief of bereaved families for financial gain after hiking the price of memorial benches around the bay.

Now councillors have agreed to look again at the controversial price hike after being told the policy was ‘morally indefensible’.
The latest tariff for benches in the bay includes prices which outstrip those charged by neighbouring councils. Opponents have also highlighted the fact that Torbay charges more for a memorial bench than the London borough of Westminster.
However, the man who drew up the new tariff, Cllr Adam Billings (Con, Churston with Galmpton) said the bay’s prices and locations should not be compared with other South Devon councils or Westminster because circumstances in the bay were very different.
He said he was ‘pleased and proud’ to have drawn up a policy which helped local people to remember their loved ones.
Other councillors have criticised the ‘two-tier’ tariffs which charge far more for a bench in a prime location such as Torquay seafront – up to £12,000 – than for one in a less-favoured location such as Brixham’s Battery Gardens – £8,000.
Cllr George Darling (Lib Dem, St Marychurch) said the increases in charges were ‘extortionate’, and in some cases amounted to a 2,000 per cent rise. “They should not be guided by finance alone,” he said. “They are the places where we meet with our families to remember those people who are no longer with us.
“We can’t defend this. It is making money out of our residents’ grief, and people are extremely upset about it.”
He said the council was charging more than the real cost of installing and maintaining benches.
Cllr Billings said there had been no policy structure at all before the new one was drawn up, and the new arrangements were an effective way of helping people to remember their loved ones.
He said the starting price for a plaque on an existing bench was cheaper than the council’s cheapest option was 15 years ago. And, he added, two-tier pricing reflected the fact that benches in popular places received more wear and tear.
After the meeting Cllr Swithin Long (Lib Dem, Barton with Watcombe) welcomed the decision to look at the policy again.
But, he added: “This must lead to real change. Memorial benches should be about remembrance and community, not about raising revenue from grieving families.
“At the moment, the policy risks doing real harm by placing an unbearable financial burden on families at an incredibly difficult time.“