Burial costs in Southend to rise due to lack of cemetery space

The price increase is to help manage dwindling burial land at Sutton Road cemetery

A council is attempting to deter people from having burials with a 20% increase in charges because of a lack of available plots at cemeteries.

Southend-on-Sea City Council hopes to encourage crematorium use, as land supply at Sutton Road cemetery dwindles.

There are only 2,500 plots available, which the authority said could be used up in as little as seven years.

Kursaal Ward Labour councillor Matt Dent dubbed the increase "a grief tax".

The increased charge was raised at a cabinet meeting, after a swathe of cuts were proposed to cut a predicted £30m deficit.

John Lamb, the Conservative councillor responsible for regulatory services, said the council had looked at alternative land.

Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday, Mr Lamb said: "We did make a suggestion of some land that should be looked at and I haven't had any feedback.

"The work needs to start now for the future of our people and our burials," he said.

Chief executive Rob Tinlin said: "Finding alternative suitable space for burials is not a straightforward practice and it requires us to test the land and ensure it is suitable and capable of taking burials."

He explained that the council previously tried to find burial space about eight years ago, but "it posed us immeasurable challenges to try and get up to the point it could be readily drained and safely drained".