Federation Constitution

THE FEDERATION, originally named the Federation of Cremation Authorities in Great Britain, was formed at a meeting held at the British Empire Exhibition, Wembley, on 1st August 1924 and rules were adopted. These rules, as amended from time to time, were entirely redrafted as the Constitution and adopted at the Fourteenth Annual Meeting held at Edinburgh on the 28th June 1938.

In 1949, a radical change in the membership of the Executive Committee occurred in consequence of the increasing influence of municipal authorities in the cremation movement. The Federation’s quarterly journal, “Resurgam”, was first published in 1958 and continues to enjoy a wide circulation within the cremation movement both in the United Kingdom and overseas.

To improve the benefits of the Federation’s members, a committee of Technical Officers was established in the post war era. The Technical Officers continue to consider and advise on the design, construction and operation of crematoria and the development of crematorium equipment and apparatus. Standards of performance have been devised and informative publications produced, all of which are now published within ‘A Guide to Cremation and Crematoria’.

The first Joint Conference of Burial and Cremation Authorities was held in 1932 and, with the exception of the war years, it has been held annually. It has attracted professionals as well as all those concerned with the disposal of the dead and the many allied and sensitive matters associated with that service.

By 1968, it became necessary for an extensive revision of the Federation’s Constitution to be considered so as to make it more suitable to the substantially increased membership and influence, and the Federation’s greater scope of work in the Cremation Movement. The revised Constitution was adopted at the 44th Annual General Meeting held at Brighton on the 30th September of that year.

To reflect the progressively changing requirements of Member Authorities, the Constitution has been modified on several occasions to enable it to better respond to the needs of its membership. At the Annual General Meeting in Southport in 2003, it was agreed to introduce affiliate membership for organisations involved in the provision of services to Burial and Cremation Authorities leading, in 2006, to a further extensive review of the Federation’s Constitution allowing, amongst other things, full membership of the Federation to Burial Authorities.

Nearly all crematoria in the United Kingdom are represented in the membership of the Federation whose authority on the subject of cremation has long been respected both nationally and internationally. Government Departments consult the Federation on matters affecting the law and practice of cremation which is now recognised as an essential part of public health services.