Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is spending £134,000 on a new council-run pet crematorium which is expected to open before the end of the year.
The authority has confirmed to Daily Focus that the Loved and Loyal Pet Crematorium, being developed at Bradwell Crematorium, remains within the £134,000 budget approved through its capital programme.
Burntwood-based Addfield Environmental Systems has secured the contract to supply the cremator, while contracts for the associated building, footpath and concrete slab have yet to be awarded.
The council has declined to reveal how much income it expects the new commercial service to generate, saying its financial projections are commercially sensitive.
Prices for individual cremations are expected to start at £75 for a small pet and rise to £275 for an extra-large dog. The appointment-only service will operate from a detached building at Bradwell and include a private farewell room.
Council Leader Jonathan Gullis said: “We want local people to have the choice of a caring, dignified and affordable way to say goodbye to a much-loved pet, close to home.”
He said the development would also make use of the facilities and expertise already available at Bradwell Crematorium.
Addfield has previous experience in the local authority market. The manufacturer supplied equipment for Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council when it established its own council-operated pet cremation service.
Newcastle is among a relatively small number of English local authorities to invest directly in pet cremation facilities, although other councils including Redditch have also considered the service as a potential source of income.
Further procurement opportunities remain available in Newcastle, with construction-related contracts still to be awarded.
The council will also need to secure a regulatory licence from Defra before the crematorium can begin operating.
