ILMINSTER NEWS: No room at the cemetery for burials – but you can be buried in Taunton

ILMINSTER people who want to be buried when they die may not be able to do so in their own town – but don’t worry….Taunton will welcome you with open arms.

Councillors agreed at last night’s (Tuesday, May 17, 2016) annual meeting of Ilminster Town Council to sell no more burial plots at the cemetery and for remaining land to be used for the interment of ashes only.

They also agreed that one small strip of land could be used for a row of eight ashes plots, but would only be allowed to have flat headstones.

Cllr Julie Fowler said the council was looking at the possibility of finding additional spaces for burial.

But Cllr Andrew Shearman added: “We aren’t the only town in South Somerset that has problems with its cemetery and a lack of space.

Cllr Stuart Shepherd said that people might not fully understand the situation if they visit the cemetery.

“It looks as if there is a lot of space up there,” he said. “But there are a lot of reserved plots.”

Some graves also have flat headstones – rather than upright – which can also give the cemetery a misleading look.

Councillors agreed last week that the council should develop a “positive communication strategy” to let people know about the cemetery issue with it being a sensitive issue for many.

They said it was important to let people know that just because they cannot be buried in Ilminster it does not necessarily mean they have to be cremated.

Town council clerk Joy Norris said: “I’ve spoken to Taunton Cemetery and they would accept people for burial from all over the world.”

The Ilminster Press reported on April 16, 2016, that the cemetery at New Road on the outskirts of Ilminster was nearing capacity.

The council agreed in January this year to set-up a working party to look at the mounting crisis with the broad remit to investigate the availability of land for cemetery use including land already owned by the council.

But this does not come as a shock. The council has been discussing for many years the worsening situation at the cemetery with regards space.

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