Mum considers exhuming son over 'constant battle' with council over cemetery rules

DISPUTE ABOUT GRAVESIDE MEMORIAL ITEMS DRAGS ON

- By LAUREN MONAGHAN

A BEREAVED mum says she may move her son out of Beeston Cemetery after being left with "no trust" in the council over memorial rules.

The changes to controversial rules seeking to restrict items left on graves across Broxtowe borough cemeteries has been delayed for the second time in six months following a deferral by the council's cabinet on Tuesday.

A dispute over whether grave owners should be allowed items on graves and gardens around them has been ongoing since October 2024 when families started a petition opposing restrictions that had been in place since 2009 but not enforced.

Council maintenance teams were set to start removing and disposing of tributes from council-run cemeteries in January 2025. But this was suspended for 12 months while a working group was set up to establish a "common sense" approach with families.

Following on from this, a set of rules between the council and bereaved families - allowing items within reason - were originally set to be decided in June, but this was deferred to allow more time for discussion.

The dispute was set to finally be resolved in Tuesday's meeting, with proposed rules allowing tributes and gardens within one metre of the headstone plinth for new graves and for any reopened older graves.