Shropshire Star

Inquiry into Shrewsbury baby ashes scandal welcomes input

An inspector looking into the loss of baby ashes at a Shropshire crematorium has urged people concerned to get in touch.

Published
Emstrey Crematorium in Shrewsbury

Families affected by the investigation into Emstrey Crematorium who would like their individual cases to be considered should write to the independent inquiry team based at the Shirehall.

The panel is also keen to hear from anyone who has any views, comments or questions about infant cremations they would like to be considered as part of the inquiry.

All emails and letters received will be read and considered by David Jenkins, the inquiry chairman, and his assistant John Doyle.

The inquiry, which began this week, has been commissioned by Shropshire Council at the request of bereaved families, to look into cases where no ashes were returned to families following the cremation of a baby or unborn child at Emstrey crematorium.

Bereaved families who did not receive their children's ashes from the crematorium called for answers from Shropshire Council. The authority commissioned an independent inquiry which is expected to last several months.

And it is hoped that a report containing findings, conclusions and recommendations will be published by the end of April 2015.

Mr Jenkins said: "A number of families have already come forward asking for their case to be looked into as part of the inquiry.

"I encourage other families to contact us if they would like us to consider their case too. Likewise, if anyone has opinions, thoughts or questions relevant to the inquiry, we ask them to contact us so that we can consider these as part of our work.

"My selection was entirely independent. I had not, until coming here, met with the officers of the council. In fact I had only been to Shrewsbury once before."

Mr Jenkins held legal posts with Oxfordshire County Council, the Local Government Ombudsman service, and Hampshire County Council, before joining Dorset County Council in 1989.

There he held various legal and managerial posts, before serving as chief executive from 1999 to 2012.

A former chairman of the Association of County Chief Executives, Mr Jenkins has led reviews, and participated in inspections, of a number of other local authorities and public service organisations.

Emstrey Crematorium was owned and managed by the former Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council until April 2009, when the new, unitary, Shropshire Council came into being.

Since September 2011 it has been managed by Co-operative Funeralcare on behalf of Shropshire Council.

To contact the inquiry team, people are asked to send an email to inquiry@shropshire.gov.uk, or write a letter to the inquiry team, care of Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury SY2 6ND.

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