Sheffield council leaders give assurances after warning that city is running out of cemetery burial spaces
Campaigners making an urgent call for more burial spaces in Sheffield cemeteries got reassurances of action from city council leaders.
A debate was held at yesterday’s meeting of Sheffield City Council (December 4), prompted by an emergency petition to the council that was signed by 7,000 people. The city’s Muslim community are particularly worried that spaces allocated to them in city cemeteries are running out, as their religion precludes cremation.
Campaigner Abid Hussain told the meeting that the signatures were collected in just five days. A public meeting last week organised by the South Yorkshire Muslim Bereavement Trust was attended by 300 people, including leading councillors, reaffirming the strength of feeling on the issue, said Mr Hussain.
The town hall public gallery was also packed by people watching the debate.
Mr Hussain said: “Today is my third appearance in this town hall within a period of 15 months to seek urgent action from the council to adequately plan for and to provide sufficient burial space for the city’s needs.
“Whilst some people may choose cremation, others choose burial. Some of our communities do not have a choice, as it is a religious imperative to bury – communities such as Jews and Muslims.”
Anguish
He told councillors: “I say that Sheffield residents are living in anguish, with daily anxiety at the thought of only two to three years’ Muslim burial space remaining at Shiregreen and City Road cemeteries.
“Tinsley Park is already full and not open to further Muslim burials. Abbey Lane has ongoing problems with ground drainage so is not suitable.”
Mr Hussain said that this distress is compounded by climate change, which has led to higher rainfall, increasing land drainage issues.
There are already problems with flooding of Muslim graves at Shiregreen Cemetery.
Mr Hussain called for monthly meetings with council leader Coun Tom Hunt and chief executive Kate Josephs to get regular updates on progress. He said that campaigners had supplied a list of 45 council-owned sites that could potentially provide for expansion more than a year ago.
He also asked for the issue to be referred to the strategy and resources committee, rather than being left solely to the communities, parks and leisure policy committee, which has cemeteries and crematoriums in its remit.
Strategy
Parks committee chair Coun Kurtis Crossland said: “Loss of a loved one is one of the most difficult and stressful situations that anyone can go through, so this petition has really struck a chord with people.
“The committee is fully behind the urgent search for new land. Everyone should be laid to rest in a way that is in accord with their wishes and beliefs.”
He said that six to eight years of burial provision is left in total and the number of plots in Muslim sections of cemeteries will last about three to four years. He stressed: “This is why we do need to act now.”
Coun Crossland said that an overall council strategy for burial and cremation provision is being put together but the committee is fully behind the warnings of the urgent nature of the situation.
Council leader Coun Tom Hunt said he also understands the importance of the situation and said that councillors are working cross-party to ensure a solution is found. “This impacts on all communities in all parts of the city of all faiths and none,” he added.
“We will not allow the space for Muslim burials to be exhausted while space is available in other cemeteries,” Coun Hunt stressed.