Sunday burials saved as Mid and East Antrim Council drops proposal

Aerial view of Ballee Cemetery

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has agreed to shelve a proposal that would have ended Sunday burials.

The recommendation to restrict weekend burials to Saturdays only was presented to councillors at a meeting of the council’s Environment and Economy Committee last month.

The discussion took place in a closed session, according to the minutes.

Officers had advised limiting weekend burials, but councillors were told that rural Sunday funerals are a long-standing tradition and that any staffing challenges were “for council to resolve, not citizens of Mid and East Antrim”.

It was also noted that costs were already “built in” to accommodate Sunday burials.

It was highlighted that burial services are among the council’s frontline responsibilities and that key partners should have been consulted before any change. Interim Director of Operations Shaun Morley said staffing resourcing would need to be reviewed.

A proposal by Knockagh Alliance Councillor Aaron Skinner, seconded by Larne Lough DUP Councillor Gregg McKeen, recommended that the council should not revise its weekend burial provision. The proposal was subsequently agreed.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Cllr McKeen said:

“I feel the family should be given the option if they want/need to have a burial on whichever day they want. In some cases, due to other factors, this might be their only option.”

Also issuing a statement, Cllr Skinner said:

“As this was discussed in a closed council session, I am only allowed to repeat what I said which was that weekend burials are an important tradition in rural areas and it is a key front-line service that must be protected.

“If there are staffing issues, then that is for the council to resolve. It is not an excuse to restrict the services open to our residents.”

Separately, councillors last month rejected an earlier proposal by Cllr Skinner to reopen household recycling centres on Sundays.

A recommendation to maintain the current opening hours was proposed by Braid TUV Councillor Matthew Warwick and seconded by Braid Sinn Féin Councillor Archie Rae.

A director told the committee that the cost of opening recycling centres for half a day on Sundays would be “the equivalent of closing on three weekdays”.