Reply from a councillor I asked to support us,interesting reading maybe a new approach,to getting results,heres the email........ Hello, thanks very much for your email, to my shame, I was not aware of this petition! It is incomprehensible what pleasure someone derives from vandalising graves, especially childrens graves and I really feel for the families affected. I do not even want to imagine how upsetting this must be for a bereaved parent. I am aware that you have contacted some other Councillors too. I dont believe the Councillors will sign the petition - not because they dont agree with you - but if youre petition leads to a debate in Council, Councillors are supposed to enter debates with an open mind, appraise all the facts and make a decision based on those facts. Signing the petition would suggest they had already made up their minds and they could be barred from the debate. So please dont be offended if we dont sign the petition. There are some things you should know about this issue that you may not be aware of... Before I was elected as Councillor for Fishwick, the lack of railings along the New Hall Lane/Brockholes Brow side of the old cemetery was a big issue. Once elected, I kept the issue of the railings on the agenda whenever possible. When Labour took control of the council in 2011, I argued strongly for the inclusion of the cemetery railings in the program of works. That stretch of the cemetery is substantially long to build a fence. The cemetery is 150 years old and the road is a major gateway into Preston; and any railings need to be in keeping with the historical nature of the area and the impression we want to give visitors. Therefore, only wrought iron railings, that match the other railings around the cemetery, would suffice. The estimates for suitable, good quality railings for this stretch of the cemetery ranged approximately from £350,000 to £750,000, depending on exactly where they were placed and how they were erected. The cheapest option was to build the railings into the ground, inside the existing boundary wall, because the wall itself needs much remedial work. The difficulty of working alongside a major road only adds to the difficulties. By 2011, government cuts had hit the councils budget badly and we were faced with huge bills for the renovation of other council assets. I was unable to make a case for spending up to three quarters of a million pounds on railings for the cemetery, no matter how heart-rending the reasons. This position has not changed and I dont forsee the council agreeing to spend money on this project in light of competing priorities. I firmly believe that railings on that side of cemetery would reduce vandalism greatly since it is the only section that is not enclosed. However, I just dont see how that amount of money would be approved in the current financial situation. CCTV is a good deterrent for crime and anti-social behaviour. It is not always effective in identifying perpetrators but its mere existence would obviously help to reduce vandalism in the cemetery. I am not aware of any estimates for the cost of CCTV in the cemetery. This is because it has always been dismissed as a solution to the problem for various reasons. The old and new cemeteries cover a vast area and it is neither practical or cost effective to cover such an area with cameras. The whole cemetery has suffered vandalism over the years. It would be unfair to install CCTV in just one part of the cemetery. Most of the vandalism is committed during the hours of darkness, so the whole area would need to be lit up to make the CCTV effective. This would be another huge and costly project, perhaps more than the cost of the railings. The cemetery is also full of trees which seriously hamper CCTV coverage. CCTV and lighting creates an ongoing maintenance and operational cost which would cause further budget difficulties. An external organisation is already helping the council with the cost of city centre CCTV or that service may have reduced or ceased in the future. The only suggestion I can offer is this one; The cemetery used to have a friends group. I dont think it is still active. A friends group or an action group could achieve various things to improve the cemetery and reduce vandalism. They could work with the cemetery staff to raise awareness of the suffering vandalism causes. They could also increase appreciation of the cemetery as a piece of history, an open space and natural asset. I would happily support such a group as a nearby resident and Councillor. I believe that funding available to parks is now extended to other types of open spaces including cemeteries. The old cemetery is especially interesting from an historical and environmental perspective. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that an improved cemetery with an active friends group could eventually apply for funds, with the help of the council, which could include a bid for the railings. This is not an overnight solution and would take years, rather than months, to achieve. However, I dont see another route to improving the situation that you are rightly concerned about. Im sorry if this response does not seem supportive. It is a very difficult problem to solve. Please dont think that I am dismissing your concern in any way. I am happy to discuss this further at any time. Regards, Martyn.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 07:13:06 +0000
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