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Grave Robbery (literally!)
Comments
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Kill two birds with one stone ... instead of burying people, turn them into Soylent Green to feed the starving of the world.0
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Our council is the same, and, still one time, there also used to be some sort of charge, if the hearse and coffin went through different counties, en route.
It seems that everyone feels the need to profiteer where death and funerals are concerned.
LinYou can tell a lot about a woman by her hands..........for instance, if they are placed around your throat, she's probably slightly upset.0 -
Some interesting comments. I can understand somewhere in pretty Devon needing rules, but we are talking about a run of the mill cemetery in a main Midlands city.
Bargainbetty, I'm with you on the ashes scattering bit, but it is only right that we comply with the elderly deceased person's wishes to be buried in the same plot as their spouse, which they own.
We are going to take it up with the council concerned, because it is an error on their employee's part, and it is also seems unfair given that the deceased was born, lived and worked a long time in that council area, and actually died in it, and as I say, the boundary from the house is about 2 miles. For those who think it is fair to say that people from outside the area must pay more towards the upkeep of the cemetery, should we not be allowed to claim a refund from the council we have been paying tax to but won't be using their cemetery?
I feel that council's need to look into the history of the deceased, and take a sympathetic stance.0 -
I think if it were me in this situation I would have a cremation in Yorkshire then take the ashes myself up to the preferred cemetery and scatter the ashes there.
It least your Dad would have a "presence" in the cemetery with his other family members albeit not as a burial.
At least the conclusion is the same,he is in the cemetery he wanted to be in.0 -
I guess the problem is where to draw the line - wherever there is a line, someone will be on the wrong side of it. For instance if they say anyone resident in the last 5 years it would still catch people in your position. Or if they have dispensation to former residents and I'd stayed there for 6 months on a job 40 years back, that too would be unfair.
I do understand your frustration, of course I do, especially at an emotionally charged time, but I'm not sure how it would be simply resolved TBH without excluding someone else.0 -
Some interesting comments. I take the posters points as follows:
(i) Agree that there needs to be some sort of policy to stop non-locals in popular/picturesque locations from taking plots away from genuinely local people. In other words, where demand outstrips supply. But actually, in those cases, people who can afford to pay the increased cost of burying family members do STILL take plots away from locals. So in cases like this, it would be more sensitive for councils to look at applications based on circumstances, rather than the colour and quantity of someone's money. In my case, it is rather an understatement to say that this is not a particularly salubrious area....and I certainly doubt that anyone would chose to be buried there for vanity reasons.
(ii) I also agree that once someone is dead, they won't be aware of what happens to their remains after death. However, it is difficult when someone has held a longstanding wish to be buried "at home with their family" and have made their living relatives aware of this. After all, this is the area in which they lived for 90% of their lives before circumstances forced them to leave, and it's in a graveyard in which the rest of their family is buried..... I feel that most people would want to try to comply with that person's wishes, as a mark of respect.....and at such an emotional time, councils KNOW that.
(iii) I did write to see whether the council would consider special circumstances in my father's case. They didn't reply....so I wrote again......and they still didn't reply!
(iv) Actually, in terms of maintenance, it isn't all up to the council. The council may cut the grass, but I am responsible for the headstone and making sure that it is safe. There was actually a case recently where the graveyard equipment collided with a headstone, knocking it over and damaging it. The council denied all knowledge of this and tried to charge the family to make safe/remove the damaged gravestone.0 -
It's equally ridiculous how the cost varies from one local authority area to the next. Some local authorities charge a couple of hundred and others a few thousand. Wherever a plot is in the country, it's the same depth and width! Unless it's a double, triple or family plot then I can't see how this can be justified.
Personally, I'd rather see a blanket cost across the UK.0 -
AsknAnswer2 wrote: »It's equally ridiculous how the cost varies from one local authority area to the next. Some local authorities charge a couple of hundred and others a few thousand. Wherever a plot is in the country, it's the same depth and width! Unless it's a double, triple or family plot then I can't see how this can be justified.
Personally, I'd rather see a blanket cost across the UK.
I would imagine that different councils price it dependent on how they are budgeting. While it may cost thousands in one area, they may be paying less for other services, likewise the areas paying hundreds will pay more elsewhere to make up the deficit.
I think if a blanket price for the whole of the UK the cost would be set closer to the thousands than hundreds.0
This discussion has been closed.
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