Families spared cost of headstone repairs

Midland councils are spending tens of thousands of pounds repairing headstones, sparing relatives the anguish of paying for the work.

About £100,000 has been spent by local authorities in the last year on securing 800 memorials – five per cent of the 16,000 graves that were tested in the 12 months.

The decision to pay out for repairs is the culmination of a gradual shift in policy over the past few years since "topple testing" hit the headlines.

In 2007 the Government issued advice that machines that applied 35kg of weight to headstones to test their stability should not be used.

Instead, hand checks are preferred.

Temporarily securing headstones with stakes and tape was also criticised.

Some loved ones had been left facing bills of up to £400 for repairs. But now most councils are meeting the costs of the rolling checks.

In Dudley, about 3,000 have so far been tested, with 599 in need of work to make them safe. Annually £70,000 is set aside for resecuring memorials, environment and culture boss Councillor David Stanley said.

In Walsall there have been more than 8,000 memorials assessed and about 200 have required work carried out by a memorial mason, at a cost of £20,000. Cabinet member Councillor Anthony Harris said: "I wouldn't want to be burdening people with bills."

About 5,000 graves in Wolverhampton have been inspected, with repairs on 69 costing £9,000. In Cannock a total of 266 were tested and none needed repairs.

However, none have been carried out by South Staffordshire Council in 2011 as they review procedures.

Sandwell Council agreed a programme of checks in May but its bosses said they do not have a confirmed number. Deputy leader Councillor Mahboob Hussain said the authority had been meeting the cost of repairs for three years.