Nettleham Burial Ground Grievance is Badly Reported in Lincolnshire Echo

Related content: 'Nettleham Parish Council Statement Regarding the Burial Ground'.

The Lincolnshire Echo is reporting that a mother grieving the loss of her teenage son has been ordered to remove memorabilia from his grave. Ryan Hides was just 17 years-old when his scooter collided with a car in Dunholme Road, Scothern, on Monday, 15th September 2008.

His mother, Mrs. Joanne Green is reported to have since tried to carry on for the sake of her family and other children, despite her overwhelming grief. Her grieving, it is reported, has been helped by raising money for charity, joining a scooter club and conscientiously ensuring that Ryan's grave, misreported by the Lincolnshire Echo as being in Nettleham Road Cemetery, but in fact his mortal remains have been interred in Nettleham Parish Council's Burial Ground on the High Street, Nettleham, is kept neat and tidy - although the parish council would dispute this.

The paper reports that bosses - or more accurately the council unanimously - have told her that she has to remove everything from the grave - images of scooters, a postcard and flowers and other grave goods- apart from one pot, for flowers.

The paper reports Mrs. Green as saying that:

"If I had known that this would happen, I would never have had him buried there."

The paper reports that in a statement 'the council said Mrs. Green signed a document to say she agreed with the rules' - however, as you can read here, this is not what is in the statement. The paper reports that Mrs. Green says she did not sign anything, which it is understood is correct. It is my understanding that paperwork relating to the interment of Ryan's mortal remains was handled by his father.

The paper makes no mention of the year and a half of on-going communication between the family and the parish council trying to resolve issues and as the Council heard at it's last meeting, Mrs. Green is consumed with grief, and has been unwilling to uphold the agreement entered into with regard to the proper maintenance of grave goods.

In conclusion the paper, despite being provided a full and comprehensive statement on this matter by the parish council, has failed to produce an article worthy of publication, it is full of errors and misrepresentations.

EXCLUSIVE: Nettleham Parish Council Statement Regarding the Burial Ground

Nettleham Parish Council has released the following Press Statement regarding upholding the Burial Ground Rules:

"In February 2008, after extensive local consultation, the Parish Council agreed a new set of Management Rules for the Parish Burial Ground.

"The rationale behind the revised rules was to make clear the basis on which interments were to be undertaken, including broad requirements as to the size and shape of memorials (which have to be approved by the Council) and more specifically the quantity and type of memorabilia permitted on a grave. In essence the rules permit a single vase to be placed within the memorial tablet (i.e. on the plinth of the gravestone).

"In part this requirement is to assist in the maintenance of the burial ground; additionally it provides for a well laid out neat appearance, a factor which the majority of villagers and visitors to the graveyard have indicated is of importance. In this, the Council is following the practice of many councils who are responsible for graveyard management.

"The new rules were widely publicised and relatives of all deceased persons interred since the rules were introduced have been required to confirm that they have read and understand the rules. This aspect forms part of the discussions between relatives and the funeral director.

"With regard to the specific case of Ryan Hides the burial took place some 18 months ago and the family did at the time sign the required form indicating that they agreed to adhere to the same. Unfortunately throughout that period the number and variety of items on the grave has been extensive and clearly contrary to the Council’s requirements for the proper management of the burial ground.

"As a result the Council has written to the family on four occasions in an attempt to resolve the situation amicably. In addition a meeting between them and representatives of the Council has taken place, when it was made clear that the situation needed to be addressed.

"The matter was further considered by the full Council at its meeting on the 17 March, when the sensitive nature of such matters formed an integral part of the discussion. However, Councillors were conscious of how long this matter had been under consideration and concluded that removal of the items would be necessary

"Following that meeting a letter to the family was sent giving them a further month in which to arrange for the removal of the relevant items. In all the circumstances, the Council believes that it has acted both fairly and reasonably but naturally regrets the additional suffering that this subject has inevitably caused the family."

Sunday Express - Stainton-by-Langworth Pet Cemetary

Related content 'Cllr. Meg Davidson in Sunday Express?'.

The Sunday Express is reporting that villagers whose last resting place is a discreet plot in a country churchyard may well be turning in their graves.


The paper mentions that plans are afoot to open an environmentally-friendly burial ground where pet lovers can be interred alongside their beloved animals.

The village of Stainton-by-Langworth, north of Lincoln, will become the only place in England where humans can be buried with their dogs, cats and even hamsters forever.

West Lindsey District Council gave permission for the scheme because the local churchyard of St. John the Baptist is, like many others in Britain, fast running out of space.

Mrs. Deidre Oswin, who lives in nearby Langworth village, is quoted as saying:

"Some people might take to the idea but it is a very peculiar sort of planning application. It’s quite unusual, to say the least."

Cllr. Mrs. Meg Davidson, Conservative (Fiskerton Ward), is reported as saying she was braced for an outcry and the need for a special planning meeting to explain what the project was about. But she was surprised to find that, after some initial concern, the plan was approved without opposition from the district or parish councils. Mrs Davidson is reported to have said:

"It did seem very strange at first and we didn’t quite know what to make of it all.

"We didn’t know what the local reaction would be as nothing like that has happened round here before, but after everything was explained there were no real objections.

"Many people thought it made sense because graveyards, as everyone knows, are running out of space."

An acre of the four-and-a-quarter acre site will be dedicated to animal burials and the rest of the space will become a 'green' human burial ground. The application indicates that the burial site aims to have a low impact on the environment while maintaining a rural appearance.

People who choose to be buried there will have biodegradable shrouds instead of wooden coffins, with a tree or flat plaque to mark the grave instead of a traditional headstone.

The site will remain agricultural and wildlife will be encouraged. It is intended that, over time, it will turn into a small wood and orchard.

The paper report that the Environment Agency has issued a licence for the burial of animals at Stainton-by-Langworth and believed it would become the first burial ground in England where pets could be buried with their owners. A spokesman explained:

"We have never heard of a burial ground like this before.

"It seems like a new but rather strange trend – people not wanting to be separated from their pets in death, that is."

There are nineteen pet cemeteries in England and Wales but so far none has been linked with human cemeteries.

Related content on the web: Yahoo India

Acknowledgement: Express.co.uk | UK News | 24/01/10

Nettleham Parish Council's Cemetary Fee Fixed in 2010/11

In the course of considering the precept – that part of the council tax that goes to the parish – for 2010/11 (which has been set at £101,243, the same figure as in the current year), and in particular the removal of a subsidy by West Lindsey District Council on the costs of the Burial Ground, the Parish Council has considered differential fees charged to residents and non-residents, and whether the burial ground should in the future only be for residents only.

It has been agreed that there will be no change to the existing burial ground fees system of charging, and that people from outside the village can continue to be buried in the village, although reduced rates will apply for Nettleham residents. As the parish goes through a transition between the old subsidised system to the parish being more responsible it was agreed that for next year any shortfall would be found from the Parish Council’s reserves.

A Burial Ground Appeals Committee has been set up consisting of Cllr. Mrs. Val Darbyshire and Cllr. Giles McNeill, to deal with any disputes about residency. Cllr. McNeill said:

"I think that people want to know that a fair system operates: in the future residents of Nettleham may have to subsidise costs of the burial ground, although it is my hope that this will not be the case.

"Local people will want to be assured that decisions, on these sensitive matters, are being taken by people and not coldly assessed by an inflexible set of rules or guidelines."

Parish Council's Tax Freeze Remains Solid.

Update to Nettleham Parish Council Agree Tax Freeze.
Related Article: Nettleham Parish Council Budget 2010/11.

Despite signs that the Freeze in the monies raised by the Parish Council through the Precept was cracking and melting under the heat and pressure of the loss of subsidy to the Burial Ground, nevertheless the Freeze has held firm and solid.

Tonight Nettleham Parish Council met at Mulsanne Park Pavilion for our November meeting. One of the key items to appear on the evening's agenda was item 11 - Burial Ground Matters - at out Budget Meeting at the end of October the Parish Council had agreed to look at the fees charged for burials and interments of cremated remains at the Burial Ground which following the withdrawal of a subsidy from the district council meant that the parish council needed to find several thousand pounds to cover the loss of this income stream.

I was concerned that one of the options presented to the councillors was to effectively increase the contribution made by taxpayers to the Parish Council by a 1.39%. In hard times, when people are facing the pinch of the recession, and inflation (RPI Measure) running at minus 1.4% that could represent a real terms increase of 2.79%. An alternative was to increase burial and interment fees by 50%

Fortunately the Parish Council felt convinced by figures I presented which supported keeping the fees at the current levels. Further, based on the figures for the first half of the current financial year, and the cuts made to the budget to run the burial ground I firmly believe we will be able to provide the burial ground service at no cost to local taxpayers in the future.