Labour Councillors Call on City Lib Dems to End their Absurd Ban on Ceramic Vases at Cambridge Crematorium

19 March 2007

Cambridge Labour Councillors today called on the ruling City Council Lib Dems to reverse their proposed unilateral ban on ceramic vases at Cambridge Crematorium and local cemeteries, which in Labour's view is 'health and safety issue gone mad'.

Confusion has reigned for over a month since announcements by Lib Dem Council Leader, Councillor Nimmo Smith, (7 Feb) that all vases used by relatives for floral tributes at Cambridge Crematorium and local cemeteries now had to be 'shatterproof and stable'.

Labour Councillors are demanding a categoric announcement that there will be full and open consultation on this plan, given that no effective enforcement has yet started, with relatives to be given the option to decide for themselves whether to use family pottery vases to remember loved ones and protect floral tributes.

Leader of the Cambridge City Labour Group, Lewis Herbert said today,'The ruling Lib Dems have stated that all vases used by grieving relatives must first be certified as shatterproof. This is a case of health and safety gone mad, and is rightly seen by relatives as the Lib Dems being insensitive and out of touch.

'The Crematorium currently looks neglected not because of ceramic vases but because it is not getting the level of cleaning and maintenance appropriate both for relatives and for a contract that costs the Council over £ 200,000 every year.

'We are demanding an open ended public consultation on ceramic vases, with the relatives given the option to vote to continue to use their personal ceramic vases.'

'The Lib Dems have already undertaken one U-Turn, by adopting Labour's plan to cut back the cremation charges increases in their 2007 Council Budget.

Now we call for another U-turn. Instead of focusing on banning pottery vases, the now two council cemetery health and safety officers have much bigger priorities.

For example, urgent action is needed to prevent a serious accident at the highly dangerous turn-off into the crematorium, off a full speed section of the accident-prone A14.