North East Lincolnshire Council is going ahead with plans to sell memorials to the public in spite of objections from the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM), which says if the council gets away with selling memorials what is to stop it and other councils from selling any other product and service they like?

NAMM has successfully challenged councils that started to sell memorials in the past with a ‘stance letter’ written by a barrister stating the opinion that it is illegal. North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) had planned to start selling memorials last year but delayed the decision in the light of the NAMM letter. Now it intends to go ahead with what it describes as this ‘service’ because it says the Localism Act 2011 has changed the rules.

Its memorials are being supplied by Granart Memorials in Chapel en le Frith in Derbyshire, which is a Company Associate Member of NAMM. NAMM says some of its full wholesaler members had refused to supply the council.

Phil Potts, the National Executive Officer of NAMM, says: “Memorial masons are very small fry in the grand scheme of things, but if you start looking at funerals in general it’s much bigger.” And he believes councils will be looking at funeral services as well as many other areas.

As comments made to Natural Stone Specialist magazine by memorial masons have emphasised, once the precedent is established, what is to stop councils selling hairdressing ‘services’, or selling cars directly to the public, or setting up in business in any area they care to in competition with legitimate local businesses?

Other councils have said they are watching with interest what happens in North East Lincolnshire.

NAMM has said it will continue the fight and has had a meeting with other trade bodies to create a united front to combat the council.

The council says it will start supplying memorials this month (October).

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