It’s important to understand how we got to where we are, re the current Edinburgh Council Cemetery Management Rules, introduced on 16th August 2022.

So lets go back to the start. Consider this post “Stage One”

And the best place to start is Edinburgh Council's Culture & Communities Committee meeting held on the 16th of November 2021.

Previous Cemetery Management Rules had followed a national template agreed operationally amongst most Scottish local authorities several decades ago…they needed updating - These current "several decades old" Cemetery Management Rules at this time in 2021 prohibited all dogs except assistance/guide dogs.

At this meeting, a report was presented to the Committee on Cemetery Strategy. You can download this report as a PDF and read it yourself by clicking here: https://t.ly/xTOek

You can also watch the relevant part of the webcast (it is only 10 minutes long, between the 2 hours 25 minutes mark to the 2 hour 35 minutes mark) by clicking here: https://t.ly/pFzRM

The highlights to take away are:

In the webcast:

Robbie Beattie, Scientific Bereavement and Registration Services Senior Manager at Edinburgh Council spoke, clarifying that the key purposes of cemeteries, as opposed to other green spaces, are to “honour the dead, and allow people to attend a grave and mourn a loved one”.

Robbie goes on to say “there are a range of cemeteries in Edinburgh, some are 150 years old and some are 50 years old. There is concern about inappropriate use, hence the discussion around Cemetery Management Rules. Use by professional dog walkers is an example, that is (in my opinion) inappropriate”.

Lastly, Robbie tells the committee that “Edinburgh is taking a lead here. The present Cemetery Management Rules across Scotland are quite old, and hopefully by collaborating with the Scottish Bereavement Benchmarking Group, which brings together councils, it would be preferential to have agreed rules across the country".

Robbie again highlights the issue of dogs in cemeteries, acknowledging it is a “contentious” issue.

In the report:

Edinburgh council had responsibility for (at the time) 42 cemeteries (it is now 43)

·         5 historical city centre cemeteries

·         23 non-operational cemeteries

·         14 operational cemeteries (where coffin interments still take place)

There are six strategic objectives that the Cemetery Service are in provision of:

1. Safe place
2. Poignant places of remembrance and reflection
3. Cemeteries are managed in compliance with the Burial and Cremations Act (Scotland) 2016
4. Sufficient space for coffin internments
5. Environmental green space
6. Manage cemeteries including those within the historic world heritage site

You will notice the absence of the words “dog” and “exercise” in the above six strategic objectives.

It is also worth noting that 1: “Safe place” here is solely in relation to Health & Safety concerns. Following the death of a child in Newington Cemetery in 2006, a Memorial Mason Registration Scheme was introduced, ensuring that memorials were constructed to the highest standard. However, following the death of another child in 2015, Burial Ground Memorial Safety guidance was introduced, setting out responsibilities for local authorities to carry out regular inspections, and take adequate steps when necessary such as laying some memorial stones flat.

So there we have it…..

As far back as 2021, when the subject of new Cemetery Management Rules was raised for the first time with the Culture & Communities Committee:

• The Scientific Bereavement and Registration Services Senior Manager at Edinburgh Council rightly stated that the primary purpose of cemeteries was “to honour the dead, and allow people to attend a grave and mourn a loved one”.
• The Scientific Bereavement and Registration Services Senior Manager highlighted (twice in 10 minutes) that dogs in cemeteries were an issue and the issue was “contentious”.
  
  
• The Cemetery Strategy Report clearly states as one of its six strategic objectives that cemeteries should be “Poignant places of remembrance and reflection”.
  
  
• If you word search the Cemetery Strategy Report PDF for the word “dog”, it does not appear once.

Stay tuned for Stage 2….