AN advisory panel has been set up to look at future cemetery provision across Cheshire East after a Crewe councillor branded the existing strategy "callous" and "ludicrous".

Cheshire East Council reviewed its strategy in 2018 and a long-term proposal was that families would have to bury loved ones in Crewe or Macclesfield as other local cemeteries became full.

The borough council is responsible for 10 cemeteries across the borough at Alderley Edge, Congleton, Coppenhall, Crewe (Badger Avenue and Meadow Brook), Macclesfield, Nantwich, Sandbach, Weston and Wilmslow.

At a meeting of the environment and communities committee last week Crewe East councillor Joy Bratherton criticised the strategy adopted in 2019 saying the matter had been "looked at from an officer's perspective, but not in the perspective of bereavement".

Cllr Bratherton, who works as a civil celebrant in the bereavement services, said: "Somebody from Sandbach would have to pay £5.50 return on a bus to get them to Macclesfield, an hour's journey each way, and a 20-minute walk from the nearest bus stop in Macclesfield to the cemetery.

"That is no more than callous as far as I'm concerned. That has not been arrived at with any view of a bereaved person in mind.

"To suggest that Crewe Meadow Brook Cemetery and Macclesfield are the two principal cemeteries is ludicrous."

She said the council should establish an advisory panel of cross party members to look into the matter again and explore different ways of managing the council's cemeteries.

The Crewe councillor added there were areas of land not utilised as burial sites in some cemeteries.

"We need to look closely at how we can develop those particular swathes of land. We need to open our eyes and open our hearts to what is needed in this question," she said.

Sandbach councillor Mike Benson told the meeting: "Let's use the opportunity to see what we've got, see how we can enhance the facilities, see how we can provide the things like memorial gardens, land to put the scattered remains, for example."

He added there needed to be a time frame, as it was four years since the last assessment had been done relating to cemetery provision.

The committee approved an up-to-date assessment be done of the future demand and capacity for burial within the borough, including identifying options to optimise existing space within cemeteries where there is less than 30 years capacity remaining.

It also agreed to create an advisory panel of councillors to contribute to a report to enable a further review of the cemeteries strategy based on the updated demand and capacity assessment.