Graveyards and the town’s crematorium in Weymouth could be taken over by the new town council when it comes into being in April.

Borough councillor Ian Bruce says the idea is being proposed and if it happens an early investigation into what available space the borough has might be helpful to start preparing for future need.

“Not long ago it was said that we were running out of space,” he told a meeting of the borough council’s policy development committee on Monday.

He said the new Weymouth council might also want to investigate whether or not it wished to continue with the policy of burial grounds in the borough being non-denominational. He said there had been a call for a specific Jewish cemetery and another for Muslims.

Cllr Bruce suggested that some of the investigatory work could be completed by the borough council in the remaining six months it had, handing over the findings to the shadow town council when it starts to meet later this year, or in early 2019.