Reuse of graves

The House of Commons Library has published a briefing paper on the reuse of graves as a means of addressing the problem of the shortage of available space for burial.

It considers the current legislation surrounding burial from s.25 Burial Act 1857, the Local Authorities Cemeteries Order 1977 and rights of reclamation, a consultation launched by the Government in 2004 which included the reuse of graves, the current Law Commission project on Burial, Cremation, and New Funerary Methods which began in December 2022, and the consultation on burial by the Scottish Government which resulted in the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016. The Scottish Government is currently conducting a consultation on a wide range of burial matters including resomation, which will close on 17 November. Continue reading →