Rules and Regulations in respect of the Borough Cemeteries

1. All memorial masons wishing to carry out installation works within the Borough must:

• be either registered with the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM) or have membership of the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM)
• possess a Fixer's Licence
• hold an appropriate level of Public Liability Insurance

2. Memorial masons will be issued with a copy of the Council's Procedures, Guidance and Compliance document and must return an original signed copy to Bereavement Services to indicate their understanding of procedures and their intention to follow them.

3. Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council maintains a register of memorial mason businesses which meet these requirements and which are therefore authorised to work in the Borough's cemeteries.

4. No memorial may be erected, repaired, removed, altered or cleaned without a "Permit to Work" having been issued.

5. Memorial Applications must be fully completed by masons, and approved by the Cemeteries and Crematorium Unit Manager. All such Applications must bear the original signatures of the Grantee(s) and the mason - photocopies will not be accepted. Once the Application is approved, a Permit to Work will only be issued upon receipt of the requisite fee.

6. In order to ensure public safety, memorial masons must install all memorials in strict compliance with British Standard 8415. To achieve such compliance, masons must employ the fixing methods prescribed by the NAMM Code of Working Practice and the BRAMM Blue Book.

7. Throughout the memorial process, masons must, in all respects, adhere fully to the provisions of the Council's "Procedures, Guidance and Compliance" document.

8. Masons will be liable for any damage caused by their work in the cemeteries. Any damage should be made good, to the satisfaction of the Cemeteries Superintendent and the Grantee(s) concerned.

9. Masons must issue a "Certificate of Compliance" to the Grantee or Grantees for all installations of new memorials and reinstallations of old memorials, guaranteeing stability for a 30 year period. The Certificate of Compliance provides the Grantee with additional protection over and above the 6 year protection afforded by ordinary product liability law.

10. It is not permitted for masons to fit kerbs on graves within the Borough Cemeteries, or to sell or supply kerb components to Grantees or their families, for them to personally install therein. Such actions will be classed as gross misconduct, and masons found to have acted in this manner will be subject to disciplinary action.

11. Masons who fail to comply with the Council's Cemetery Rules and Regulations, or the Procedures, Guidance and Compliance document, will be subject to disciplinary action by the Council, in addition to any further disciplinary procedures instigated by their own professional bodies.