A controversial plan from the Isle of Wight Council to charge grieving families watching a funeral online will only go ahead after proper scrutiny, the responsible Cabinet member has confirmed to News OnTheWight.
The council announced last night (Wednesday) that the hike in fees for cremations and burials on the Island will be frozen while the authority undertakes a commercial review of the bereavement services.
Cllr Chris Jarman, Cabinet member for resources, confirmed to News OnTheWight that this also included live streaming,
“The work to prepare for commercial implementation of the streaming service will be underway soon, covering ICT updates, staff training, etc.
“The work on the commercialisation strategy is in progress and scheduling on scrutiny and other committees will follow.”
Not a “simple throw of the switch”
He confirmed there would not be “a simple throw of the switch” for charging of live streaming of funeral services and that there will be a number of operational decisions to be made along the way.
He said that the commencement of charging would only happen after the commercialisation strategy passed through the normal committees during April and early May.
Online streaming due to Covid
Throughout the Covid pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns, the number of loved ones, family members and friends at funerals was hugely restricted.
On the Island, this led to the introduction of online live streams so those who were unable to attend in person could say goodbye to their loved one virtually.
1,221 services streamed free of charge
Between July 2020, when the service went live, and December 2021, 1,221 services, or 40.4 per cent of the 3,026 held at the Crematorium, have been live-streamed, free of charge.
Previously the authority argued the live-stream has helped mourning relatives and friends feel part of the services they could not attend.
Assurances given to Cllr Garratt
Cllr Andrew Garratt (LibDem) raised the issue of fees for live streaming at the council’s budget meeting, when he had proposed to scrap the fee.
He withdrew his amendments to the Alliance’s budget only after getting assurances and promises it would go through public consultation and further council scrutiny.
It is thought the streaming would generate £30,000.
Costs initially covered by Covid funds
The Alliance group had said introducing the fee would help cover the cost of running and maintaining the system, the licenses required to stream and also updating the equipment as technology advances.
But how do those figures break down?
The initial set-up costs of the service were covered by government money the authority received to pay for Covid-related costs — this included the equipment, cabling, infrastructure and licences for the streaming Website, a council spokesperson confirmed.
Breakdown of costs
In figures obtained by the local democracy reporting service in a Freedom of Information request, the authority spent £2,040.96 in 2020 to get the service up and running.
The only fee the council has paid since then is £840 for the streaming licence, once a year.
Other internal costs unknown
However, this does not include all the internal operational, training and ICT costs.
Cllr Jarman told News OnTheWight that these are quite substantial and, of course, ongoing.
68 services streamed per month
On average, 68 services have been live-streamed per month since the facility was introduced — which means the council could make its money back in a month.
The only cost to have increased for the council so far is the video licence fee online, which has gone up £33.60 since 2020, although there will be ICT upgrades to be done.
Article edit
5pm 10th Mar 2022 – Article live for a short period with incorrect statement about date of the start of the live streaming fees. Article removed from Website whilst clarification sought. Correct information added once clarification provided by Cabinet member.
2.45pm 11th Mar 2022 – Subheading changed from “Assurances to Cllr Garratt broken” to “Assurances given to Cllr Garratt”
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: © Isle of Wight Council
