Disclosure Log
Memorial Bench Applications for Council Owned Land (FOI/8816)
Message from Nottinghamshire County Council - 03 November 2026
Dear Requester,
Request FOI/8816
Further to your request received on 8th October 2026, I confirm that the Council has now considered your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
Questions & Answers)
I can confirm that the Council holds some of the information you have requested. Where information is not held, this has been stated below in accordance with Section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The information held is as follows:
1. Applications and Demand
Green Spaces Memorial Bench Scheme
| Financial Year | Applications Received | Approved | Declined | New Benches Installed |
| 2021/22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022/23 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 2023/24 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| 2024/25 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 2025/26 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
The Council does not hold information relating to enquiries made separately from formal applications. Once memorial benches are installed within the relevant park, associated application paperwork is routinely destroyed in accordance with records management requirements.
For other Council sites and locations, information relating to applications, approvals, refusals, installation dates and historical application records is not held.
2. Reasons for Declining Applications
For the Green Spaces Memorial Bench Scheme, no applications were declined during the periods specified.
For other locations, this information is not held.
3. Current Availability and Restrictions
a) Whether applications are accepted
The Council accepts memorial bench applications in certain locations subject to local site arrangements and available capacity.
b) Locations where applications are closed, paused or restricted
- Rufford Country Park no longer accepts applications for memorial benches.
- Sherwood Forest does not offer memorial benches.
- Within the Green Spaces Memorial Bench Scheme, restrictions apply to locations on or near the Arcology around Newstead Abbey.
The Council does not hold a recorded date for when these restrictions commenced.
d) Recorded reasons for restrictions
- Rufford Country Park ceased accepting applications due to the number of existing memorial benches.
- Restrictions around the Arcology at Newstead Abbey relate to location suitability and management considerations.
No recorded reopening dates or conditions are held.
4. Waiting Lists and Remaining Capacity
a) Current waiting lists
No waiting lists are maintained for the Green Spaces Memorial Bench Scheme.
No recorded information is held regarding waiting lists at other locations.
b) Estimated waiting times
No recorded information is held.
c) Remaining capacity
The Council holds information that there is space available for a number of additional memorial benches within the Green Spaces Memorial Bench Scheme. A specific figure for remaining capacity is not recorded.
5. Existing Memorial Benches and Policy
a) Total number of memorial benches currently recorded
The latest available count (October 2026) identifies the following memorial benches:
| Location | Number of Memorial Benches |
| County Hall | 3 |
| Green Spaces | 168 |
| Bassetlaw Day Service | 1 |
| Broxtowe Day Service | 1 |
| Newark Day Service | 1 |
| Retford Library | 1 |
| Holme Pierrepont | 21 |
Please note that information relating to the number of memorial benches at Rufford Country Park is not currently held by the Council.
Memorial Policy
A copy of the Green Spaces Memorial Bench Policy is attached.
In addition, Holme Pierrepont has advised that requests for memorial benches are assessed individually by the Grounds Team, taking into account location suitability, available space, operational requirements, maintenance requirements and future site needs.
Additional Information
The Council also holds records showing:
- Holme Pierrepont currently has 5 memorial trees and 2 memorial stones recorded in its memorial register.
- Retford Library"s memorial bench was installed in May 2026.
We hope you find this information useful.
Unless otherwise stated, any information supplied in response to this request is subject to copyright owned by Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC). The provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or Environmental Information Regulations 2004 does not automatically grant permission to re-use that information.
If you wish to reproduce, publish, distribute, adapt, or otherwise re-use any of the information provided, you should seek permission from Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) before doing so. Requests for permission to re-use information should be submitted to the Council in writing for consideration. Where information is owned by a third party, you may also need to obtain permission from the relevant copyright holder before any re-use takes place.
The Council publishes Access to Information requests and responses on its online Disclosure Log. Only requests deemed to be in the public interest will be included and any request included within this log will be de-personalised accordingly.
To view the Council’s Disclosure Log, please visit our website.
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https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/media/4323566/informationgovernanceandinformationrightsprivacynotice.pdf
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Requests should be submitted within 40 working days of the date of receipt of the response to your original request and should be addressed to: Complaints and Information Team, Nottinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, NOTTINGHAM, NG2 7QP or [email protected].
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, 4th Floor, No.3 Circle Square, 5 Hawkshaw Street, Manchester, M1 7BL or https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/foi-and-eir-complaints/.
Yours sincerely,
Freedom of Information
Complaints and Information Team
Strategic & Enabling Services
Nottinghamshire County Council
The Council is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring all personal information is kept confidential and safe. For more details see our general and service specific privacy notices at: https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/global-content/privacy
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