Clydebank weekend cremetions to be reinstated after vote to reverse service cuts

Weekend crematoriums will be reinstated at Clydebank Crematorium after councillors voted to reverse the cuts to the service made earlier this year.

The service is available for both residents and non-residents, and the Hall of Remembrance, which houses the Book of Remembrance, is also located at the site on Mountblow Road.

As part of the 2026/27 budget setting process, the council agreed that cremations and the opportunity to view the Book of Remembrance would be offered Monday to Friday, with the crematorium closed to the public at weekends.

The decision was made after costs revealed that providing staff to operate the Saturday and Sunday services was around £25,000 – £5,000 more than the budget allocated.

A report presented to elected members shows that there were 81 cremations during 2024/25 out of the 255 available weekday bookings and 68 cremations in 2025/26 out of the 407 available weekday bookings.

During yesterday’s full council meeting, a motion was presented by the Labour group to offer cremation services Monday to Friday but open the Halls of Remembrance over the weekend.

But West Dunbartonshire Community Party councillor Jim Bollan moved an amendment to reverse the cut completely and reinstate weekend cremations.

He said: “This is an extremely sensitive issue for the public of West Dunbartonshire and it is important that the council correct the situation by reinstating the cremation services on a Saturday.

“While the additional income of £53,000 a year is welcome, the increased service to bereaved families is hugely important.

“The income received for a Saturday cremation during 2025/26 was in the region of £78,000 before the deduction of operating costs.

“My amendment is quite clear, to reinstate this service.”

Councillor leader Martin Rooney confirmed that the cost of opening the crematorium on a Saturday was £8000 and said this was not offset by the number of people using the service.

He said: “I think I will be sticking with the original motion. What we are trying to do here is provide access to the Halls of Memorial at the weekend, which was the main issue that came up.

“The option of committing £12,000 seems very reasonable to me. I am a wee bit confused at how we have ended up going the extra mile when we can see the number of crematoriums on a Saturday has fallen, and the demand is quite low.

“It seems that the trend will continue to go down.”

Councillor Sophie Traynor pointed out that she had received a significant number of emails around the issue.

She said: “My own constituents are upset about both the changes to the book of remembrance and about the Saturday cremations.

“It is an item of high sensitivity across our community, and I think it is right that we look into the issues. There is a very strong need for Saturday bookings, which has been raised by myself and colleagues directly.”

Following the debate, the majority of councillors voted to reinstate the service.