Dudley grass cutting row after cemetery branded no-go zone

Councillors have slammed the state of St Peter's Church in Upper Gornal saying it is 'disrespectful', after receiving complaints from residents.

It comes as Dudley Council announced earlier this month that a total of 20 closed churchyards in the borough, many of which are home to military graves, are now cut just twice a year instead of seven.

It will save the cash-strapped council around £15,000 a year.

Councillor Adam Aston, who represents the Upper Gornal and Woodsetton Ward, spoke of his concern.

He said: "I have been contacted by local people, unable to tend to the graves of their loved ones as the grass is so high.

"Whilst I appreciate budget savings need to be found, I really feel its disrespectful to allow churchyards to deteriorate in this way.

"Responsibility for grass cutting at the historic churchyard at St Peter's Church off Kent Street sits with Dudley Council, but budget cuts at the authority have led to a dramatic decrease in work carried out."

Fellow ward councillor, Keiran Casey, added: "We would like to see churchyards and cemetery's exempted from any further reduction in grass cutting so that people are able to visit the graves of their loved ones safely."

Closed churchyards that are maintained by the council also include St Andrew’s in Netherton, St Michaels in Brierley Hill, Sedgley Old Cemetery, St John’s in Kates Hill, Dudley and Christ Church in Lye.

Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for environmental services, said: “The council is responsible for maintaining 20 closed C of E churchyards, many of which came into the council’s care decades ago.

“When the council adopts closed churchyards, it does so without any extra funding for maintenance and we have continued to provide maintenance over many years, despite reduced budgets.

“Last year Dudley Council approved a budget cut to reduce the strimming regime on closed churchyards from seven cuts a year to two as we look to make the authority as efficient as possible. We are continuing to liaise with the Church of England diocese and where in place, work with local community groups to support maintenance works. Any residents wanting to set up their own community group or arrange a one-off community event should get in touch via Dudley Council Plus to find out what support we can offer.”