NI council charges family extra £950 for grave mother bought decades ago

Jean Whitla (93) — who died earlier this year — had spent 60 years living in Newtownards before moving to live with her son and his wife in Kinallen, Co Down as her health deteriorated.

Her husband Tommy — a former firefighter and photographer for the Newtownards Chronicle — died aged 60, with Jean making plans to be buried next to him in Movilla Cemetery.

Mrs Whitla retained strong links to the Newtownards area, where she was active in the local Salvation Army branch, and travelled back every weekend to take part in their activities.

Angela Whitla — Jean’s daughter-in-law — said Newtownards was her “be-all and end-all”.

“She just loved Newtownards and everything about it,” Angela said.

“She was the core secretary of the Salvation Army, so she looked after the books and was very much involved in everything that went on.

“She lived in William Street in a two-up, two-down, but when she got to 80 and was living alone there, she had a few wee incidents where we had to go and help her.

“We suggested to her that she could move out here and live with us, which she did, on the proviso she could go back and forth to Newtownards, because she wasn’t prepared to give up the Salvation Army.

“Every weekend she went back without fail. Even at 80, she was still wearing her uniform and going out to do what she had to do.”

Jean’s health eventually deteriorated and she was diagnosed with dementia. Angela said the family tried all they could to get her placed in a nursing home close to her home town, but had to settle for Newry.

“With the health service as it is, we couldn’t even get her anywhere in the borough,” she said.

“The Salvation Army actually travelled from Newtownards to Newry to see her and even when she was in the other nursing home, they went once a month.

“Her face would have lit up; they would have put her into her uniform and taken her down into the wee day room, sang their songs and all the rest of it.”

When she died last month, preparations Jean had already made for her funeral kicked into gear, but in the days before the service, her family were left shocked by an unexpected bill.

“We got a phone call out of the blue saying that the council were wanting a fee of £1,200 to open the grave because Jean wasn’t a resident,” said Angela.

“We’d been told originally it would be £250. We didn’t have any bills or anything that would prove residency.

“We sent in a council letter from 2015 and also offered to send a letter from the church. The Salvation Army was also offering to write a letter to detail the part she played.

“The council came back and said no, she wasn’t a resident when she died so she’d have to pay the £1,200.”

Ards and North Down Borough Council said the reduced rate of £250 was offered to residents as they were contributing to cemetery costs through their rates.

“Former residents of the borough who have had to move to a care home outside the council area can be considered a resident where proof of residency is provided,” said a spokesperson.

“In this instance, we understand that Ms Whitla moved out of the borough more than 20 years ago to be close to her family.

“During that time, she lived independently in an annex to her son’s home, outside the borough, for 15 years before moving to a care home in Newry approximately six years ago.

“Given Ms Whitla lived independently outside the borough for 15 years prior to going into care, the non-resident rate was applied to the burial.

“We asked the family to provide evidence of continued previous residency within the borough in order for the resident rate to be applied but this was not provided.

“The same principle is applied by other councils in Northern Ireland. Council officers would like to express their condolences to Ms Whitla’s family at this difficult time.”

Angela said the family’s issue was not the money — they have paid the fee — but the treatment of elderly people who have had to leave the borough they call home.

“All Jean ever did in Newtownards was good. It upset her greatly when she had to move out, she was inconsolable the day we brought her away from the place. We will not be the only ones caught out with this, especially among the elderly who are having to move away to nursing homes outside the borough.

“If they are out there a couple of years and want to get buried back at home, they are going to have the same problem we did.”