State of Cemetery continues to shame Nairn - "Distressed Families"

Back in June we reported on the considerable decline in the standard of maintenance at Nairn Cemetery. On July the 13th outrage at the decline in care of this important part of Nairn was expressed at a River Community Council meeting and the watchdogs acted quickly. All this seemed to have come as a surprise to Highland Council and they admitted things were on the slip. There had been warnings expressed that the administration's policy of cuts and putting grass cutting out to contract could be potentially damaging to a town like Nairn which needs to keep its appearance in top condition given how important it is to attract visitors . The state of the cemetery is so much more important than anywhere else in the town and if a local authority cannot care for this facility to the standard that its citizens demand then why are we paying the wages of the Councillors who voted for the policies that have created this shameful situation?

Things seem to have got worse since July despite Graham Marsden taking the matter up with officials. This evening (Tuesday) Stephanie Whittaker of the River CC read out a letter she had received from the council which explained that the contractor was only responsible for grass cutting and the path-edging, weed-killing, shrub pruning and grave digging was the responsibility of the Council and that since Cllr Marsden's intervention it had been agreed that Nairn Cemetery will now be classed as a high amenity cut. This observer can only wonder why Nairn Cemetery was never classed as the highest amenity value in the first instance?

There was more to come at the meeting and it was quite shocking to hear what Liz had to say. She told the meeting: "I've had complaints over the weekend about breakages to vases etc around the graves when they were trimming. The grass was very long and there were some very upset families there on Friday. They were saying to me that it is difficult enough going up to visit graves without seeing it in a dreadful mess and cleaning up breakages that have been caused by the contractors."

Liz went on to say that she had been in contact with an official in Aviemore called Val Gallagher who has contacted the families to hear what their concerns are. To this observer this is almost beyond belief, if you are unhappy with the way the Highland Council are looking after the area around the grave of a loved one then you have to deal with some official in Aviemore!

Iain Gordon of River CC sternly told Cllr Marsden of his dissatisfaction in the matter and how this was a very emotive matter. Graham replied:

"I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just saying what's already been said, and that is there is, I think, a recognition among all of us that this is a very sensitive area and we must work very hard to ensure that it is done properly."

Liz went on to explain one of the explanations for the drop in standards she had been given by Tech Services. They had told her that there was a new regulation in regard to weed control and they couldn't just pre-spray weeds...now they have to wait until the weeds are substantial before they can start spraying." This explanation was met with gasps of incredulity from some of those present.

Stephanie once again came into the debate and told the meeting: " We need to do something, we should write on the behalf of the distressed families, it is no good saying this is dreadful and doing nothing about it!"

River CC will once again be complaining to the Council. One is left perplexed at how the ruling group members on the Highland Council who represent Nairn (Graham, Laurie, Sandy) have allowed it all to come to this. What is the point of you being in your positions if you cannot sort this out?

The state of Nairn Cemetery - Highland Council admit "Its appearance has changed"

Repercussions from the anger expressed about the deteriorating state of Nairn Cemetery at Tuesday's River CC meeting continue to reverberate. The Courier mentions how River CC have taken action on the behalf of outraged citizens and says:

"Highland Council staff visited the burial ground, in Grantown Road, this week and admitted its appearance had changed."

Hands up then from Highland Council. This hasn't happened overnight however and councillors and officials should have been keeping a closer eye on how things were proceeding. This is one part of town where the Highland Council should be ashamed of themselves for putting the grass-cutting out to contact.

River CC move fast on Cemetery problems

The Gurn has received a copy of a letter on its way to Highland Council complaining of declining standards at Nairn Cemetery. The subject was discussed last night by River CC at their regular meeting in the Community Centre.

Also available online now are the minutes of the Combined CCs meeting (usual suspects). Serious students of problems facing Nairn will find the document interesting.

Nairn Cemetery – should the local authority do more?

This observer recently went up to have a look at the cemetery as a result of a complaint from a regular reader of this blog. It was suggested to the Gurn that the newer part of the cemetery is kept very well the older areas, including those where folk have been buried in the last twenty to thirty years are not kept as well as they used to be.

It seems the newer area is better suited to ride-on mowers and strimmers with the edges of the lawns being level with the paths while the older parts with their higher edges do not fare so well these days. The mowers seem to have scalped some areas badly and weeds have come back in place of grass, the wheels of the mowers have also damaged the grass edges in places. Weed killer has been used but when the weeds reach a certain height the dead ones look just as bad as similar living ones. You can kill the weeds yes but someone has to scrape them up to make a good job of it. This observer remembers seeing a council employee with a small mountfield style mower cutting in-between graves some years ago. It could be that this still happens in some parts of the cemetery but unfortunately this very special part of Nairn looks as though it could do with a few more man hours each week to retain it in a better condition. Maybe cutbacks are the culprit here but surely the cemetery deserves the highest standard of care and maintenance. Perhaps our councillors might like to ask themselves if adequate provision is being made for the upkeep of the cemetery?

Highland Council proposed funeral charge rise of 17.5% - Liz speaks out!

A proposal to increase fees for burials and cremations way beyond the rate of inflation has been deferred for now by Highland Council. Liz spoke out:

"Nairn councillor Liz MacDonald said: “I have grave concerns about this. People in the Highlands earn 94% of the average wage in Scotland and so they should pay 94% of the average for this service. This would make a significant difference. A price hike would have a huge impact on locals. Just to take a national figure is not acceptable.” "

More in the Press & Journal. How about sacking the official that came up with this outrageous idea and seeing how much that would save? Some things should only rise in line with inflation and this is one of them.

Riverside Cemetery Gate Locked

This happened before and protests had the decision reversed. A padlock and chain have appeared again and no explanation. If you don't have a car and you live like the majority on the other side of the river, then this is a convenient way of visiting the graves of loved ones or friends. Given that many of the people that walk to the cemetery are elderly this unexplained lock-out is very unfortunate indeed. The 'Gurn' understands that representations have been made to the Provost and the Nairn River Community Council and will inform you of any response.