AHEAD of today’s Playing Fields and Cemetery Committee meeting Thornbury and Yate MP Steve Webb has said that he welcomes the decision to review the rules in place at Thornbury Cemetery.

The Gazette’s campaign is aiming to get the rules currently existing regarding burial fees at Thornbury Cemetery changed.

Following a story we published in July about the death of Ernest Shepherd and the ensuing battle over fees for his burial in the cemetery we received a number of responses criticising the existing regulations and calling for a change.

Forty-two days after having to sell his home to be able afford the costs of the care home in Wickwar that he had to move to Mr Shepherd died asking to be buried in Thornbury, the town in which he had lived for the previous 48 years.

However when Mr Shepherd’s son-in-law, Nigel Osborne, received the bill for the burial he was shocked to have been charged double the rate that a local person would’ve been charged - £926 rather than £462.

This charge was decided based on the rules introduced by Thornbury Town Council in the 1980s that anyone who has not lived in the town for more than 28 days would not be entitled to the local, lower rate.

Mr Webb agreed that the council needs to review the rules currently in place.

He said: “I know that my constituents want to see a sensible set of rules in place so that people with strong local links to Thornbury can be buried locally.

“The current rules have obviously been in place for a long time, so I welcome the decision by the Town Council to have another look to see if any changes need to be made to make sure that the rules are working as intended”.

The Gazette’s campaign has already been backed by numerous traders in Thornbury as well as Mr Shepherd's son-in-law Nigel Osborne.

Thornbury Cemetery is owned and maintained by Thornbury Town Council and they will discuss the existing regulations at the playing fields and cemetery committee meeting being held today.