Dudley Council 'bans' volunteers from tidying war graves

The Friends of All Saints' Graveyard had been tending to graves at the cemetery in Gospel End Street in Sedgley since 2019. But chairman Paul Rhodes, who served for seven years in the Royal Navy, said the group was instructed to stop its work in September after a visit from a council official.

The group had previously been praised for its work by Dudley Council.

"We were told to stop working straight away," said Mr Rhodes, 58, who served in the navy from 1983-1990.

"They said they didn't like how we were working, but we were keeping to all the rules. We had a management plan in place which the council had given us, and we complied fully with that."

Mr Rhodes, from Lime Road, Sedgley, said the group was formed in 2019 by a group of people who were concerned by the state of the war graves. 

There are thought to be more than 2,000 graves in the cemetery, and more than 100 have been tidied since the volunteers started working at the site.

Mr Rhodes said the cemetery, which has been closed to new burials since the 1960s, belongs to All Saints' Church, but the council was responsible for its maintenance.

Two years ago the group's work was praised by Dudley Council's then cabinet member for highways and pubic realm Councillor Shaz Saleem who said: “We were tremendously impressed with the work the group have already undertaken and we will be working closely with them to ensure that they can continue their good work, allowing continued safe access for both the friends group and visitors to the graveyard.”

Mr Rhodes said he and a few others formed the group after becoming concerned about its overgrown state. I knew there were war graves on the site.

"I noticed the appalling state the graveyard was in, people couldn't get to the graves.  On one occasion I noticed that a wreath had been thrown onto a grave because it could not be accessed."

He said some of the graves had links to the United States, Canada and Egypt.

Fellow volunteer Bob Freeman added: "This further saddens us with Poppy day approaching, several of our fallen heroes are now with unattended graves and no poppy placed on them. 

"The Commonwealth War Graves Commission have also been stopped from maintaining some of their graves. A few years ago we had a beautiful memorial in the churchyard attended by the vicar of All Saints Church, the British Legion, local MP, councillors and the general public to celebrate those that gave their lives for us whose bodies lie in this historic graveyard. 

"We have also won an award from the mayor of Dudley who praised our work, and we have received a community grant to assist with our work. This makes the current dealings with Dudley Council saddening."

Councillor Paul Bradley, deputy leader of Dudley Council, said earlier this year the authority became aware of concerning issues relating to the activity of some volunteers in  the graveyard.

“These issues are matters of legal compliance and could also place the safety of the volunteers and wider public at risk," he said.

“Therefore a senior manager was duty bound to stop all work by volunteers at this site, whilst further investigations into the issues and a longer term resolution could be established with all partners and stakeholders."

Councillor Bradley said representatives from the council's ground team and also the Commonwealth War Grave Commission visited the site to review maintenance requirements, and access to Commonwealth war graves.

“Dudley Council’s grounds maintenance operations have been undertaken in the interim and the team will be returning by the end of this year," he said.

"All Saints' graveyard is a complex site and designated as a site of local importance for nature conservation. As such Dudley Council is working towards a longer term plan to try to resolve conflicting issues relating to management and maintenance of the graveyard.”