THE decision by North Herts District Council to ban burials at Royston Cemetery from April has proved to be an unpopular one – and rightly so.

There are people in this town that, and they might not thank me for saying it, are nearing the end.

Many have lived in the area for their entire life. They have been educated here, worked here, been married here and retired here, and now they are to be carted out to a town down the A505 to rest in piece.

For me, it has nothing to do with religion, and being able to be close ‘in spirit’ to loved ones. It’s far more principled than that.

Personally I don’t think anything happens after we die, but those visiting graves of lost loved ones should be able to see their parents, grandparents or whoever with their graves proudly standing next to one another.

A lot of care and attention is taken to look after grave stones. For me, this isn’t so the deceased can rest more peacefully – they are already worm food if you ask me.

It’s to show that you cared about them, and want to show that they are missed to other people.

It will be difficult for, say, a disabled widow, to visit Letchworth on the irregular public transport and tend to his spouse’s grave.

Whereas if they are buried in Royston, where they lived and died, they can be reached by s short walk.

This has hit a sensitive area, and will rightly upset residents more than cuts to other areas. It is bad planning and has been resolved with a bad ruling.