Bray Town Council Agree to meet Families in Springfield Cemetery Fiasco

Over 75 people attended Bray Town councils July meeting to oppose the
councils threat to remove items from their loved ones graves in
Springfield cemetery in Ballywaltrim. A petition containing over 2000
signatures were handed over to the chairperson of council opposing the
councils attempt to enforce an old council policy of having
Springfield as a lawn cemetery. Bray Town Council have erected signs
in the cemetery stating that from 1st September the council will start
removing flowers, plaques and other mementos from graves in
Springfield to turn it into a lawn cemetery. The council has agreed to
meet a representative group from the families and have committed not
to touch any graves before that meeting is held.

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady who opposes the councils attempt to
retrospectively enforce their lawn cemetery policy stated “Over 75
people showed up to the July meeting of Bray Town Council to oppose
the council’s decision to try enforce their lawn cemetery policy in
Springfield, this is after allowing families maintain the graves
themselves for over 12 years. This decision of the council has been
the cause of great hurt to family members who have loved ones buried
in Springfield. A petition opposing the council’s policy which
contained over 2000 signatures was handed to the chairperson of the
council before the meeting commenced.”

Cllr Brady went onto say “Unfortunately despite having asked, the
issue of Spingfield was not on the agenda for the council meeting, so
at the beginning of the meeting I requested a suspension of standing
orders to allow the sensitive issue be discussed. This was supported
by my party colleague Rossa Murray.”

Brady continued “I stated that it was insensitive and wrong for the
council to try penalise families now for the councils complete failure
to enforce their own policy and that the council must now come to some
compromise due to the fact that families have for over 12 years been
allowed maintain and keep small mementos on their loved ones graves
and that its totally wrong to penalise families for the councils
ineptitude.”

Cllr Brady concluded “After some lengthy debate on the issue it was
finally decided that the council officials and councillors would meet
with a representative group of family members to discuss the situation
in Springfield and the council committed not to touch any graves until
that meeting takes place. I am delighted that the council officials
and other councillors have now agreed to sit down around the table and
try resolve this very sensitive issue. This breathing space provides
the council an opportunity to look at a number of options and possible
compromises to get themselves out of this mess of their own creation
and to allow family members tend to their loved ones graves in the
loving way there have been doing now for many years.”  Ends