Belfast residents paying triple the amount to bury their loved ones in Blaris Cemetery is “unjustifiable,” a Collin Councillor has argued.
Belfast City Council is asking neighbouring Lisburn Borough Council to waive “non resident fees” to people who had purchased graves in Blaris cemetery prior to the boundary changes in 2015. This affects anyone who owns a plot in Blaris Cemetery and still lives in what used to be within the boundaries of the old Lisburn Borough - but who are within the Belfast boundary.
Thousands of households in the Collin Area (Dunmurry, Poleglass, Lagmore, Twinbrook, Mount Eagles) are the most affected, as the area was the largest expanse transferred in under boundary changes. In 2014 elections began for the transition of Northern Ireland from having 26 council districts to having 11 “supercouncil” districts.
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At this week’s meeting of Belfast Council’s People and Communities Committee, elected representatives agreed to write to Lisburn and Castlereagh Council, as well as Stormont’s Department for Communities, to review and reduce the burial fees.
People Before Profit Councillor Michael Collins, who forwarded the proposal, said fees for Collin residents in Belfast opening graves in Blaris Cemetery were “unduly high." He said: “These fees in my opinion are unjustifiably higher than the ratepayers of Lisburn and Castlereagh Council. Residents of Collin who purchased graves in Blaris Cemetery prior to 2015 are now charged over three times that of Lisburn Castlereagh - that’s a £1,260 fee against £340 to open a grave and bury their loved ones.
“It is adding undue financial strain on families during what is obviously a difficult time following the death of a loved one. In my eyes it is not acceptable that residents of Collin should be asked to pay more than treble that of Lisburn ratepayers for what is exactly the same service.
“It raises the question whether we have achieved a sustainable and fair transition when it comes to reallocating the council boundaries. In this instance, it would appear to me that residents in Collin have been unfairly impacted by these changes. This is all taking place during a cost of living crisis.
“Many residents have been blindsided by this dramatic increase to the fees, in fact those that have contacted me were dismayed at only discovering the additional charge had been put in place after the death of their loved ones had actually occurred. They were never issued a letter or individual email to make them aware they would incur these additional fees for burials.”
Residents have launched an online campaign and petition with nearly 500 signatures to date calling for a reduction of the post-2015 non-residential fees. It can be found here.
A council officer said: “I would point out that Belfast has a similar rate of costs in terms of residents and non residents. Three to three and a half times the rate is the norm across all Northern Ireland councils - it is because of the investment each council made to buy the land and develop the land.
“I understand the nuance of this is at Collin, but these all were looked into at the time of the local government transfer. I know that all councils are under pressure with bereavement space within their boundary areas, and that may be a factor.”
Councillor Michael Collins responded to the officer, stating: “I totally acknowledge all councils across the region have a policy of non-residential fees and residential fees. But in this instance, because we had such a large portion of Lisburn Council moving into Belfast City Council that there are special circumstances. Many bought burial ground while ratepayers to Lisburn council, and are now seeing fees hiked disproportionately compared to the ratepayers still in that council.
“I understand there was a three year grace period where those price hikes weren’t implemented, but now that has ended, and people have been blind sided by it. I do think the councils could use some discretion in this instance.”
Sinn Féin Councillor Matt Garrett said: “People who lived within a particular council area, then through no fault of their own, through boundary changes, have felt a particular impact on fees they are being charged.”
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