BBC Radio 4 'The Today Programme' did a news item today, based on the fact that :
The UK's death rate is projected to rise over the next 20 years as the 'baby boomers' begin to leave us, a problem for cemeteries in cities, towns and villages across the country. The report dealt with a part of South-East London where it is getting harder to find a burial space.
Dr Julie Rugg based at 'The Cemetery Research Centre' at the University of York made the following points, that :
* in South London, Camberwell Old Cemetery is full and Camberwell New is down to its last 50 spaces.
* in London, a burial space costs £3,000 for those who live inside a borough area and £9,000 for those who live outside.
* cremation, as opposed to coffin burial, is now collectively taking up more space.
* outside London, parish councils are also facing problems with churchyards filling up.
* 'Green burial' at cemeteries outside London are quiet popular, but there are issues in that relatives who want to visit the graves might find it difficult to reach them.
* the possible way forward to go back to the old burial tradition of keeping sites in churchyards for about a hundred years and then reusing the land, clashes with the 'modernist concept' that you can't do these kind of things.
* no body exists in Britain with statutory responsibility for this problem and a scuccession of 'Justice Ministers' have decided that they are not going to deal with this issue.
'Cold Play' : 'Cemeteries of London :
The straight version with lyrics :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiuuAh-DO5o
A version with film clips :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap0R_d7siWo
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