Dignity In Death

DIGNITY IN DEATH is campaign that TCCA signed up to in December 2020. The campaign which is being led by Tottenham Park Cemetery Action Group, aims to effect change to the standards in place at Tottenham Park Cemetery, the main resting place for many Turkish Cypriots deceased in the UK. The group is calling on the Governments Ministry of Justice to regulate privately run cemeteries and give local councils the necessary powers to be able to regularly inspect, ensure maintenance, regulate, and apply health and safety measures for the visiting public and where necessary take enforcement action including powers of temporary or permanent closure. We also call for the legislation to allow local councils to be able to compulsory purchase failing cemeteries should all else fail to improve standards.

Private cemeteries are currently unregulated. As part of an action group campaigning against, amongst other things, the continual disturbance of remains in Tottenham Park Cemetery (TPC) in Montagu Road, London N9, we are trying to bring change.

We are regularly receiving cases of alleged incidents ranging from:

• the reuse of plots before the expiry of leases
• right of burial contracts not being issued
• memorials being vandalised/damaged, and plots reused if graves appear unvisited
• memorials vandalised as a result of cemetery works
• remains of loved ones disturbed as they are dug up for new burials
• the removal of pathways and trees to make way for new graves compromising access to graves
• absence of transparency
• no public access to records
• poor access to graves especially for people with disabilities
• World War I and II servicemen graves also lost

Local communities and bereaved families deserve to have respect and confidence that their loved ones graves will be protected in law, and properly maintained; in short, all we ask for is Dignity in Death.

Notes:

TPC has around room for approximately 6000 plots and yet since 1912 this small cemetery has seen over 49,000 burials. It is estimated by the Ministry of Justices own Inspection Report that each plot has over 7 bodies; THIS MUST STOP. We call on the Minister of Justice to end the scandal of unregulated cemeteries, and bring private burial grounds and cemeteries in line with the high standards of those run by local councils.

Petition link