Public meeting after family told to clear grave

The council says the feedback will form part of a review of the cemetery's regulations

A town council which ordered a grieving family to remove decorations from their daughter's grave is to hold a public meeting to review its procedures.

Brackley Town Council last month gave the Sadler family a month's notice to remove all ornaments on their seven-year-old daughter Lottie's grave at the cemetery in Halse Road.

The family started a petition, which has attracted more than 4,000 signatures, calling for the Northamptonshire council to reverse its decision and apologise for its conduct.

The council has since announced that it will hold the meeting to discuss cemetery regulations with residents.

In its original letter to the family, the authority said it had received complaints about the decorations from visitors, who felt that it was "disturbing the peace of the cemetery".

The grave was decorated with flowers, cuddly toys, lights and trinkets in memory of Lottie, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council said that, as Lottie's grave was in the adult section of the cemetery, the family should have known they would not be allowed to decorate the plot.

'The right balance'

An online petition, which stated that the grave decorations were an expression of the family's "love and grief", was started on 11 February.

It reads: "Brackley Council has threatened to shatter this sanctuary. We find this directive deeply inhumane and insensitive, punishing a grieving family who are merely trying to cope with their loss."

The council later issued a statement saying that it "understands the sensitive nature of cemetery regulations and the emotional attachment individuals feel towards memorialising their loved ones".

It added that its regulations could sometimes be "difficult" and that it would review the case and its overall policy to ensure it strikes the right balance between "respecting individual memorials and maintaining a dignified space for all".

The council said no policy decisions would be made at the meeting but the feedback would be included in a review of the regulations.

The meeting will be held in Egerton Hall on 13 March at 18:30 GMT.