“Law is made only when society and people there in don't regulate their conduct and then it has to be made a law so that now there is penal action for violating it.”

There are two question we get asked a lot.

They are perfectly reasonable questions.

If you have read our update from yesterday (https://t.ly/KYSg2) you will already know the answer to these questions…but let’s spell it out.

1: What will be the cost of Enforcement?

The counter petition and it’s supporters are very fond of scaremongering around the costs of a change to Edinburgh Council’s Cemetery Management Rules, using phrases such as:

• “We do wonder whether council and government funds could be better spent”
• “Spend goodness knows how much time and money to change a rule”
• “There's many more things that the time and money could be spent on”
• “It depends on spending money on someone to issue fines”
• “But the needless change of rules should not cost us extra money especially over other important issues”

We now know that the total cost of enforcing ANY new Cemetery Management Rule changes around dogs in cemeteries will be around £1000, and this will be for new signage only.

There would be NO FUTHER COST.

Not our words, but the words of Robbie Beattie, The Scientific Bereavement and Registration Services Senior Manager at Edinburgh Council.

• Mr Beattie stated, several times, at the Edinburgh Council Culture & Communities Committee meeting held on 1st February 2022, that regardless of which rule the Committee decided to introduce
  
  “The enforcement is the same – it is still going to require the same amount of checking up and education”.
  
  
• At the same meeting, responding to the following question from Cllr Meechan around enforcement and the number of Enforcement Officers for different rules, “it would require the same staffing, for either option?”
  
  Mr Beattie replied “yes, the same overall bodies, regardless”

There we have it. Straight from the horse’s mouth – regardless of what rule Edinburgh Council’s Culture & Communities Committee chose to implement, there would be no extra enforcement staff costs.

We also know from Section 6 of the Cemetery Management Rules Report (https://t.ly/LKgVh) presented at this meeting, the following:

Financial Impact: If approved by the committee there will be a requirement to update signage in all cemeteries at an estimated cost of up to £1000 which will be contained within current approved budget.

So, again, very clear – regardless of what rule Edinburgh Council’s Culture & Communities Committee chose to implement around dogs in cemeteries at this meeting, the total cost was going to be around £1000.

We will make a pledge now:

if there are any changes to the rules around dogs in Edinburgh cemeteries because of our petition, we will offer to pay Edinburgh Council’s full costs for new signage.

We would run a Crowdfunder for our supporters and ask everyone (based on approximately 1200 signatures just now) to contribute £1 each. If there was any shortfall from this Crowdfunder, we will make up the difference ourselves.  

Therefore, the total cost to Edinburgh Council for enforcement would be £0.00

In fact, if “exercising a dog in a cemetery” is made an offence punishable by a Fixed Penalty Notice, it has the potential to provide extra funds for Edinburgh Council, which could be reinvested in the upkeep of cemeteries.

2: How will Enforcement work?

We have always maintained that the public are (generally!) good people.

They will accept a new rule if it is clearly stated, with proper signage, and the whole issue of dogs in cemeteries will largely self-police itself after some initial period of education, and “the word spreading”.

It would appear Mr Beattie and several Edinburgh Councillors agree with us.

From the same Council Culture & Communities Committee meeting held on 1st February 2022:

• Responding to a question from Cllr Alex Staniforth on self-policing.
  
  Mr Beattie responded “Simple rules can be easier – it is a bit like the “No Ball Games” sign in green spaces…everyone understands what that means”
  
  
• Responding to a Cllr Catherine Fullerton asking, “do you think that word would get around, and people would accept it?”
  
  Mr Beattie responded “Absolutely. Once you get the message out, it would not be the same resource used year after year – we would have a year’s graft, to get the message across”
  
  
• Cllr Fullerton later comments “I truly believe the public will accept this over time”

Again, not our words (although we fully agree with them), the words of Councillors and a Senior Manager in Bereavement Services from Edinburgh Council.

So:

• There would be no Enforcement Officers stationed at the gates of Edinburgh’s cemeteries, shouting “papers please!” at mourners arriving with their dogs.
  
  
• There will be no Enforcement Officers disturbing mourners at the graveside of their loved one, to “prove why they are there”
  
  
• There would be no Enforcement Officers checking whether an Assistance dog is truly an Assistance Dog
  
  
• We can all tell who is visiting a cemetery “to honour the dead and allow people to attend a grave and mourn a loved one” (Mr Beattie’s very apt description of the primary purpose of cemeteries), and who is there to blatantly exercise a dog.

Remember, nobody is stopping PEOPLE doing anything by a rule change.

People can still:

• Visit cemeteries for the peace, contemplation, tranquillity, beauty, and solace
• Visit cemeteries for mental health benefits
• Visit cemeteries as a safe secure place
• Visit cemeteries to enjoy the history of the cemetery and its inhabitants
  
  …and the countless other reasons that people visit a cemetery…

Eventually, given time, it would be accepted by the public and become the norm, just as the public understand that it is unacceptable and against the rules to take a dog into a hospital, a cinema, a theatre, a museum, a zoo etc.