Cemetery rule changes to be resolved soon, says council leader

BROXTOWE'S council leader says he is “optimistic” that changes to the borough's cemetery rules will be finalised by the end of September after bereaved families said they don't know where they stood.

- By LAUREN MONAGHAN

In July last year, it was decided that some items left in tribute to loved ones on graves in the borough would be removed due to maintenance difficulties and for health and safety reasons.

Rules allowing the items to be removed have been in place since 2009, but the bereavement service only updated its “notice of internment” forms in 2023, prohibiting items such as fencing, bedding plants, vases, windmills, glass and alcohol.

In October, bereaved families started a petition over the issue and Broxtowe Borough Council leader Councillor Milan Radulovic (Broxtowe Alliance) announced a 12-month suspension of the rules. A working group was set up with bereaved families to find a “common sense” approach.