House of Commons to debate Bishop's Stortford Cemetery Bill

The town council would be able to lift and deepen existing graves if the new bill was passed

A bill that would allow a town council to remove burial rights is to be debated in the House of Commons.

The Bishop's Stortford Cemetery Bill would let the town's council extinguish rights people have bought after 75 years, if unused.

It would also grant the authority permission to "lift and deepen" occupied graves after the same time period in the Hertfordshire town.

Peers in the House of Lords green-lit the bill last year.

It is due to be debated in the House of Commons on Thursday.

Lifting and deepening the graves would involve digging up the remains in an existing grave, making it deeper and then re-interring the remains.

The rest of the grave could be used for fresh burials, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Mustafa Latif-Aramesh, representing East Herts Council and Bishop's Stortford Town Council, told MPs there is "acute concern" about sufficient and sustainable grave space in the town.

Concerns have been raised that the proposed notice time is not sufficient

He said local authorities make "no commercial gain" from the cemetery and would not stand to make commercial gain from the power to re-use graves.

Before the town council extinguishes burial rights or disturbed human remains, it must advertise its plans at least six months before taking action.

It would have to cease its plans for 25 years if the registered owner or relatives of a person of the affected grave objected to the plans.

During a committee session about the bill on 20 February former East Herts Council member and now Conservative MP for Colchester Will Quince raised concerns that publication in local newspapers was not adequate, especially if those affected live out of the area.

"We know that many relatives visit a grave once a year, perhaps at Christmas when they see family, or on a particularly special day such as a birthday.

"They could quite easily slip out of that six-month window," he said.

London borough councils already have similar powers to extinguish burial rights and disturb human remains.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has found seven councils with 11 cemeteries in Hertfordshire have graveyard land supply which could be exhausted within two decades.

Among them is Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council which would need new land for burial space by approximately 2028 and Hertsmere Borough Council has approximately one year before Allum Lane cemetery in Elstree is full.