Making cash from people's misery?

Joyce Butchart’s mother Eileen Graham passed away on January 12 this year and had requested to be buried in Bearsden’s New Kilpatrick Cemetry next to her husband, after she purchased a lair there in 1993.

However East Dunbartonshire Council is charging the family £2,500 to open the lair again, because Eileen had not lived in the council area for ten years prior to her death.

If she had lived in the council area it would have cost £1,250.

Joyce said: “Having lived in East Dunbartonshire for 22 years my mum relocated as a widow to East Kilbride to be nearer myself and her grandchildren.”

“Heritage funeral directors in East Kilbride made all arrangements and they have never come across a council with such an atrocious rule.

“Why make money from other people’s misery? How dare they, having already paid at the time for the plot and paid for the title, they have the audacity to charge a previous resident of Bearsden a ridiculous fee when her own husband is buried there and waiting for her.

“I’m truly disgusted.”

Grace Irvine, director of neighbourhood services, said: “This is an issue which I understand is difficult, particularly for those who have recently experienced the loss of a loved one.

“The council does have a policy interment fees for non-residents that can be waived if the deceased has lived outwith East Dunbartonshire for less than 10 years and has either moved to a Nursing Home or through ill health to a relative’s address.

“Unfortunately, in this case, we understand Mrs Graham had lived outwith the district for more than ten years and therefore we were unable to apply the resident fee.”