A MAJOR revamp of cemeteries and crematoria has been delayed after an official blunder.

Councillors had been due to vote on the £1.7m upgrade plan last night.

But the decision has been delayed because Kirklees Council officials did not include a business plan in the agenda for yesterday's Labour cabinet meting.

Deputy leader Clr David Sheard told councillors at Huddersfield Town Hall: “We will have to defer this item because some of the papers have gone astray.”

Mirfield Conservative Clr Martyn Bolt pointed out the missing paperwork to the cabinet. He said: “It was diabolical that the cabinet didn’t realise the paperwork wasn’t all there.

“The business case and various appendices were missing. Without reading them, you can’t decide whether to invest £1.7m.”

The proposed work includes rebuilding and strengthening cremators and replacing components at Fixby and Dewsbury.

Kirklees also wants to invest £80,000 in upgrading music and media facilities at both crematoria.

The improvements would allow mourners to choose from an extensive online library of songs and would also mean services could be broadcast on the internet.

Kirklees plans to spend £120,000 upgrading pathways and parking areas at cemeteries in Slaithwaite, Edgerton, Lockwood, Dewsbury and Batley.

The £1.7m revamp comes on top of the council’s proposal to build a new cemetery for Huddersfield.

Council officers have drawn up the proposal to develop a nine-acre site at Farnley Hey near Castle Hill at a cost of £900,000.