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Sunderland City Council

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Sunderland City Council
Civic Centre
Burdon Road
Sunderland
SR2 7DN

Tel. (0191) 520 5555
Calls may be recorded for quality and training purposes
Customer Comments

The service received a total of 102 customer comments in the year 1st April 2006 – 31st March 2007.

Customer Complaints

The service received a total of 24 Customer Complaints in the period 1st April 2006 – 31st March 2007. Of these, 4 related to grounds maintenance issues in cemeteries and were referred to the Council’s Grounds Maintenance Service for resolution as they are contractually responsible for cemetery maintenance.

Of the remaining 20 complaints, 5 related to fees charged by the service.

There were no discernible trends for the remaining complaints.

Enquiries / Requests for Service

A total of 78 Enquiries and Requests for Service were received in the period 1st April 2006 – 31st March 2007. The most popular of these related to searches (16no), memorials (6no) and statutory declarations (6no). 

The requirement to complete a statutory declaration in relation to burial plot ownership was introduced last year. Prior to that a number of the forms returned were completed incorrectly and it was apparent that customers required further assistance with completion. As a result a set of guidance notes were produced to accompany the forms to enable customers to complete them correctly. This has resulted in the number of requests dropping from 10 in 2005/06 to 6 in 2006/07 

Crematorium Services Survey

The service is committed to continual improvement in service and standards that it provides to its customers. A regular survey is therefore undertaken of customer satisfaction with the service provided by the Crematorium Service.

The latest survey was undertaken in the period October to December 2006 when survey forms were issued to approximately 20% of service users.

Overall the responses to the survey indicate a high level of satisfaction with nearly all respondents being satisfied or very satisfied with the crematorium service and the appearance / maintenance of the grounds. Over 95% indicated they were satisfied with the clarity of the memorial information provided and the range of memorials which the crematorium is able to offer. 31% of respondents indicated that they would be likely to use an on-line service. 

A brief summary of the Charter for the Bereaved was included with the survey. The majority of the respondents were unaware that we participated in the Charter for the Bereaved, however all felt that we complied with the summarised Charter Rights.

Two respondents added comments:-

“Overall a very good service”

“Actual Garden of Rest very bland” 

Cemeteries Services Survey

As with the Crematorium Service there is a commitment to continually improve service and standards provided by the Cemeteries Service.

The most recent survey was undertaken in the period November 2006 to January 2007. 93 survey forms were issued with the Deeds.

Overall the responses to the survey indicated a high level of satisfaction with 90% of respondents being satisfied with the excavation and preparation of graves and a similar proportion of respondents were satisfied with the reinstatement of the grave following interment. Over 80% were satisfied or very satisfied with the appearance of the grounds. However a higher than expected proportion of respondents was very dissatisfied with the provision of seating and litter bins. This may be explained by the removal or resiting of some seats to discourage gatherings of youths who tend to congregate on an evening.

Four respondents added comments:-

“the churchyard (Houghton Cemetery) was very well kept”

“Lawn section regulations are too strict and full size kerbs should be allowed on graves”

“there should be a large litter bin for flowers and rubbish (Washington Cemetery)”

“men of all ages are allowed to congregate drinking alcohol in the (Houghton) cemetery which could be intimidating for visitors”

Information from the surveys and other enquiries have been used to identify specific Service Improvements. 

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last updated 13/04/07