Gym memberships in Brent are set to be cheaper next year – but the cost of dying is likely to go up. 

That’s according to the council’s proposed changes to fees and charges for 2022/23.  

Annual membership at a council-run gym is expected to cost £300 next year, compared to £307.20 in 2021/22. 

Those wishing to pay monthly are likely to see prices drop from £31.20 to £30. 

Those on joint memberships – two adults paying a single monthly fee together – will be charged £54 next year, an increase from £51.60. 

The cost of hiring sports halls, badminton courts, table tennis tables and dance studios are set to remain the same.

This is all against the cost of dying in Brent which is expected to go up. 

Burial rights for Brent residents at Willesden New, Paddington Old and Alperton cemeteries will range from £4,296 to £7,068 – last year it was between £4,200 and £6,960. 

Costs at Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery will also go up to a maximum of £5,136, compared to £5,040 in 2021/22. 

Cremations will also be more expensive, with Brent residents paying up to £2,772 as opposed to £2,058 to have ashes buried in a new half-grave space. 

The cost of putting remains in an existing plot is significantly cheaper, but the fee is still expected to go up from £325.20 to £384. 

Additional charges, for services including chapel hire, Saturday burials and headstone or plaque memorials, are also set to increase. 

And the council intends to introduce new fees, including ‘grave tendering’. Residents can pay £144 for one visit a year at most cemeteries, or £216 for two visits. At Carpenders Park, these figures drop to £96 and £168, respectively.

Many local authorities base their fees and charges on recent inflation rates, which was set at 5.5 per cent in January.  

The fees and charges proposed for 2022/23 will be discussed at a Brent Council meeting on Thursday (February 24), where its wider budget will be proposed. 

Brent Council has been contacted for comment about this latest report.