Independent probe into Shrewsbury baby ashes case
An independent inquiry will be carried out to find out why families were not given ashes following cremations of a baby or unborn child at a county cemetery.
Shropshire Council leader Keith Barrow today confirmed a probe would be carried out following complaints from parents about missing ashes at Shrewsbury Crematorium.
It comes after calls from Glen and Louise Perkins, who lost daughter Olivia to Sudden Death Infant Syndrome in 2007 and opted for a cremation at the site in London Road, Emstrey.
Following the service for their four-month-old daughter they were not given any ashes.
Earlier this month Mr Perkins, 52, from Monkmoor in the town, claimed he had found out that only one in 30 sets of ashes had been returned to families following the cremation of babies or unborn children at the site over the last 10 years.
He said in many other crematoria, including Telford and Wrekin, ashes have been returned.
Council chiefs say an upgrade of the crematorium, which is managed by Co-op Funeral Care, in 2012 has made it "much more likely" for ashes to be collected and returned.
But Mr Barrow said the authority would still be carrying out an inquiry.
He said: "At the request of bereaved parents we have agreed to hold an independent inquiry to look into cases where no ashes were returned to families following the cremation of a baby or unborn child at Emstrey crematorium in Shrewsbury.
"The exact details of the inquiry, including the timescales it will cover, are still to be agreed, and we will be sharing these as soon as they are confirmed."
Shropshire Council took over the running of the crematorium in 2009 from the former Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, and since 2011 it has been managed by the council's contractor, Co-op Funeral Care.
Mr Barrow said the installation of a baby tray and the introduction of a special setting had made it much easier for baby ashes to be collected at the site.
He said in the most recent baby cremation at the Emstrey site in 2013, ashes had been returned to the family.
The decision to hold an independent probe is believed to have been taken following a meeting between council chiefs, officers and bosses at Co-op Funeral Care.
Speaking earlier this month Mr Perkins, a professional guitarist and father-of-eight, called for a "proper, independent investigation" into practices and procedures at the crematorium. He said there could be "no excuses" for what had happened.