Sefton Council has been accused of letting a cemetery in the town fall into ‘decline’

Sefton Council has been accused of letting a cemetery in the town fall into ‘decline’.

Now councillors whose wards cover Duke Street Cemetery are calling on the local authority to ‘respect the dead’ and clean it up.

However, council officials dispute the cemetery is in such a poor state and say they ‘work tirelessly’ to maintain the site.

Dukes Ward Councillor John Pugh and Kew Ward Councillor Fred Weavers raised concerns about the upkeep of the 150-year-old site, this week.

Their concerns include what they claim is the deteriorating structure of the buildings and basic maintenance which is ‘spiralling downward.’

The council maintain that their maintenance budget for the cemetery hasn’t decreased and point to improvements that have been made recently, which include improving and widening footpaths, reducing vehicle access to protect paths, verges and graves and installing fencing.

Cllr John Pugh, though, isn’t convinced. He said: “Complaints have been voiced for some time about the declining condition of Duke Street Cemetery.

Some residents visit graves on a weekly or some- times a daily basis but have been distressed by the poor state of upkeep and deteriorating structure of the buildings and fabric.

“Kew Ward Councillors, having seen a very limited reaction from the council that in no way satisfies bereaved families, have allocated more than £8,000 of their limited ward funds to help stem the decline – £3,800 will be spent on restoring the gates and £5,000 on planting to improve grassed areas.”

Cllr Weavers added: “As a community we need to respect the dead and the feelings of the bereaved and it is appalling that Sefton Council is doing so little to stem the deterioration.