UK city council denies lack of space for Muslim burials

UK city council denies lack of space for Muslim burials
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A city council in UK has denied space for Muslim burials will run out despite reports one cemetery had only a single remaining site for Islamic internments, BBC reported.

Kirklees Council said although Dewsbury Cemetery had a shortage of plots, funds had been ringfenced to create more and that, overall, capacity was available in the wider North Kirklees area.

As of this weekend, Dewsbury cemetery was down to its final plot for Muslim burials, according to a representative of a local funeral service

Ammar Anwar, Community Alliance councillor for Dewsbury West, said it was “nothing short of a scandal” after Council Leader Carole Pattison revealed last week there were only “one or two” remaining plots at Dewsbury.

The issue was raised at a meeting by councillor Cathy Scott, who asked leader Pattison where families were expected to bury their loved ones.

Pattinson responded that the authority was actively looking for more spaces.

Pattison told the council that despite rumours it was “not true” that officers were not working hard to provide or look for space in Dewsbury and the wider North Kirklees area.

Dewsbury Cemetery with a path down the middle, grass and gravestones either side. The sky is sunny with clouds, and a bench is looking down the centre of the cemetery.

Back in 2023 a council report stated that a new burial ground would be required for the town, but that there was expected to be enough capacity for the next six years.

The calculations included 600 plots privately owned by the North Kirklees Muslim Burial Committee.