Council leader says mourner ban petition will be considered 'fully and fairly'

The organiser of the petition, Kelsey Dobson, said last night she was not satisfied with a 'compromise' announced by City of York Council over the weekend, under which "faith officiant" will now be able to carry out funeral services, with mourners able to attend but staying outside.

The authority said it had come up with a plan to provide "some peace and comfort" to those people unable to attend the funeral of a loved one, but York Central MP Rachael Maskell has claimed that the changes do 'not go far enough' and Kelsey said she agreed.

Kelsey, who set up the petition after her aunt Marie Dean was told she could not attend her late husband Colin's funeral, said she had written to York council leader Keith Aspden to ask for the decision to be reconsidered in the light of the petition.

She told him: "Whilst yesterday's renewed guidelines allow immediate family outside the crematorium, this still refuses immediate family their right to be with their loved one during the service."

Cllr Aspden replied, offering his condolences, and said: "I can only imagine the distress that the current situation is causing to you all.

"I want to reassure you that the suspension of services at the crematorium was not a decision taken lightly, and was only made due to the extreme circumstances facing us as a city, following public health advice, the absolute need to protect staff and ensure the crematorium can continue to operate."

He said that when petitions were received by the council, they were taken through a particular process to ensure they were 'considered fully and fairly.'

He said: "I can confirm that this will be adhered to. In this case the petition will be received by the Council’s Deputy Chief Executive and I will ensure that you receive a full response.

"I have asked council officers to keep the decision under continuous review, to ensure restrictions are lifted as soon as it becomes safe to do so."