Nottinghamshire Council Pauses Cemetery Tribute Restrictions for a Year

A local authority in Nottinghamshire has put on hold a contentious regulation for a year, which had the potential to result in the removal of commemorative items from burial plots. In July, the cabinet of Broxtowe Borough Council had given its approval to new limitations designed to control remembrance articles placed on cemetery plots. Chilwell Cemetery, one of five sites owned by the borough, was initially given a deadline of 23 January for the removal of “unofficial surrounds” from graves, a category encompassing items such as gravel, vases, and glass. Milan Radulovic, the leader of the authority, informed affected families that any enforcement of these measures would now be postponed for 12 months to facilitate a comprehensive and appropriate consultation process. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), families who had established personalized garden areas on graves expressed concerns that their cherished items might be taken away under the recently approved regulations. The council stated that these restrictions were implemented due to challenges with maintenance and for health and safety considerations, noting that such rules have historically been in effect. On 24 October, Radulovic held a meeting with families at Bramcote Crematorium, during which he pledged a “common sense” approach regarding the regulations. The year-long suspension was formally ordered by Radulovic on Thursday, during a private session involving representatives from the council and the families. The LDRS reported that this arrangement will entail forming a working group comprising families and council officers, tasked with developing a “sensibly-worded solution and policy.” Nicola Smith’s son, Aaron, passed away in 2018 at the age of 21, and Lindsey Collins’s son, Josh, died in 2021 when he was 19. Both sons are interred in the cemetery, and both mothers were present at the meeting held on Thursday. Ms Smith commented: “When I buried him [in 2018], I asked what I was allowed on that grave and I was told that I could have anything if I kept within the measurements and I maintained it myself.“I have stuck and adhered to that rule.” Radulovic stated that the formation of the working group would facilitate a “negotiation” aimed at “meets the needs for people to grieve in their own way.” Ms Collins expressed that while the 12-month suspension was welcome, there remained “a lot of uncertainties which will obviously still cause us considerable stress.” Lesley Webb, who intends to inter the ashes of her deceased husband Peter in Beeston Cemetery, remarked: “We’ve spoken on behalf of everybody, we’ve had a nice meeting, everybody’s been polite – we haven’t finished yet.”