Burial charge anger for grieving Newport family
A grieving woman has accused council officials of treating her late mother-in-law as a "second class citizen" after being forced to pay double for her burial because she died just outside a town's boundary.
Marie Whitefoot is furious that Newport Town Council refused to offer a discounted rate to her mother-in-law Dorothy Whitefoot, who died aged 88.
Council rules state the families of people who have lived outside Newport for more than 12 months must pay twice as much for most cemetery services as those who lived in the town. The additional fees can be waived at the council's discretion.
Dorothy lived in Fisher's Lock in Newport for more than 20 years but was not classed as a Newport resident by the council as she spent the last three years of her life at The Rubens care home in Chetwynd Aston – just a few hundred metres beyond Newport's parish boundary.
That meant the family had to shell out £560 for Dorothy to be buried at Newport Cemetery in Audley Avenue instead of the £280 for residents.
Mrs Whitefoot, of Alton Grove, said: "You could've lived in Newport all your life but have moved out for the last year and then you are classed as a non-resident. It's crazy.
"Just because my mother-in-law spent the last three years in a home she's classed the same as a stranger. She'd lived and worked in Newport – and paid council tax.
"On the other side of the coin, someone could move to Newport for the last few years of their life and then get preferential treatment.
"She wanted to be buried with her husband, who died in 2004.
"We could hardly say we would put her somewhere else. That is where she wanted to be.
"I know the council has to generate income, but they are trying to make money from people at the worst time of their life."
Council clerk Lee Jakeman said that councillors had looked at Mrs Whitefoot's request for a reduced rate "with great consideration" behind closed doors at a meeting earlier this month.
He said: "The town council has an agreed set of rules and these are published in an information pack which is distributed to all local funeral directors generally at the beginning of each financial year with a list of revised prices and when there are rule changes.
"We currently waive the additional fees where the deceased was a resident of Newport within the preceding 12 months."
Mr Jakeman said the town council's burial fees were "significantly less" than in cemeteries run by Telford & Wrekin Council.
