Families have been left distressed after Walsall Council began removing memorials and surrounds from graves at Streetly Cemetery. The leader of the Walsall Community Independents (WCI) group said the removals ‘send a dark message’ to residents in Walsall.
Community Reaction
Councillor Aftab Nawaz received reports from over a dozen residents from the Muslim community this week but was unaware if removals had been carried out at other sections at the Little Hardwick Road site. The council’s policy states small items such as vases can be placed directly in front of the headstones at the lawn cemetery but must not spread over the length of the grassed grave.
Councillor Nawaz claimed the policy had not been enforced for many years, and it became acceptable for families to add surrounds and gravel at the site. He said: “There was no notice given to residents and councillors were not informed or consulted on this provocative and sensitive action. The fact they’ve not enforced something for so many years shows that they are not harming other people at the cemetery. Why enforce something that’s going to create more distress for people whose loved ones are buried there?”
Political Response
Councillor Nawaz and WCI’s deputy leader, Councillor Khizar Hussain, have written to the leader of the authority, Councillor Elaine Williams, and chief executive, Emma Bennett, calling for an immediate stop to the removals. It is understood Councillor Williams ordered that no further action is taken on the graves until further notice.
Council Statement
A spokesperson for Walsall Council said: “We fully understand how important it is for families to honour and remember their loved ones, and we recognise the care, love and personal significance that go into maintaining graves. We also have a responsibility to ensure our cemeteries remain safe, accessible, and maintained to a consistent standard for all visitors.
“Bereavement Services carried out a public consultation last year and, as a result, are currently reviewing the cemetery rules and regulations. While this review is underway, we continue to apply the existing regulations. As part of this work, routine inspection and safety checks began in February, and to date we have reviewed 19 sections of the cemetery in Streetly, as well as our other cemeteries.
“We have written to families where items do not comply, asking for their support in making any necessary changes. Where this has not happened, items have been carefully and respectfully moved by our teams and placed in secure storage for families to collect at a convenient time, helping to ensure the cemetery remains a safe, accessible and dignified space for all. We remain committed to keeping our cemeteries peaceful, respectful and well-maintained places where everyone can remember and pay their respects.”
Historical Context
It is not the first time Streetly Cemetery has been the subject of controversy for surrounds and memorial removals. In 2016, dozens of people protested outside the council house in Walsall after residents were told to remove flower beds and edgings on their loved-ones’ graves at the site. At the time Walsall Council said the regulations needed to be followed in order to protect the cemetery from becoming ‘chaotic’.
In 2019, a Muslim man lost a High Court battle to keep a 4 inch marble edge around his father’s grave at Streetly Cemetery. Atta Ul-Haq said his religion as a Barelvi Muslim prohibited people from walking over graves, and argued the council’s refusal was preventing him from exercising his religion. But the authority defended itself by stating it allows the mounding of graves which it described as a usual Muslim practice to discourage people from walking over them.
