Kirklees Council says there are “very limited” spaces for Muslim burials at Dewsbury Cemetery, as “urgent concerns” are raised about cemetery provision in the north of the borough.

Fears for Dewsbury Cemetery’s “rapidly depleting” burial space have been raised several times over the years.

The matter was brought to the attention of Kirklees’ full council by members of the Dewsbury Cemetery Multi-Faith Action Group back in November 2022 who said the land would be used up within 12 to 18 months. But the council said there were enough spaces to serve the community for six to seven years.

The following June, a council report said that the construction of a new burial ground was required as Dewsbury Cemetery would be “full to new Muslim burials by the end of 2023”.

But despite this stark warning, the local authority maintained that spaces wouldn’t run out for people of all faiths and no faiths. It again reiterated that there was enough room to last at least six years, though this also took into account the 600 spaces that are privately owned by the North Kirklees Muslim Burial Committee.

At the same time, cabinet approved a half-a-million pound investment into more burial space for North Kirklees, with two possible sites said to have been identified. Shabir Pandor, council leader at the time, explained that each site would provide an additional 1,000 spaces if deemed suitable.

But now, more burial space is yet to be brought into use and space at Dewsbury Cemetery, particularly for Muslim burials, is “very limited”, Leader of the Council, Coun Carole Pattison has confirmed.

Coun Pattison said: “Overall, we have several years’ worth of burial space in North Kirklees at our sites in Dewsbury, Batley and Heckmondwike, for all faiths and none.

“But we know that space, specifically for Muslim burials in Dewsbury, is now very limited, and we’ve worked with local communities to look at options to increase the amount of space available.

“To help us with that work, we earmarked £500,000 to identify new burial space and council officers are due to bring forward options in the next few weeks. Whatever options are presented to us, we want to work with communities closely on this sensitive and complex issue.”

The situation has seen tensions rise in the council chamber, with the Community Alliance group calling for action.

In February of this year, the group tabled a motion which saw the Labour administration re-confirm its existing commitment to finding more burial space to serve Dewsbury and Batley, and to only spend the already-allocated half-a-million pounds in these locations.

However, the matter was brought back to cabinet in October, by former council leader, Coun Cathy Scott (Dewsbury East, Community Alliance), after a report, setting out potential new burial land sites, didn’t materialise.

Coun Pattison said this was due to the council not yet determining what green space is available to be used for burial land in the Dewsbury area.

Coun Ammar Anwar (Community Alliance, Dewsbury West) has since voiced “urgent concerns” on behalf of residents and says the situation has reached a “critical point”, with a need for transparency, accountability and a long-term strategy.

He added: “People in Dewsbury and across North Kirklees deserve dignity, respect and certainty when it comes to burial provision.

“This shortage did not appear overnight. It has been building for years, and residents are asking why nothing meaningful has been done by the current administration to secure additional space or deliver a sustainable long-term plan.

“Families are now facing the unsettling possibility of having to seek burial sites far outside their own community – an outcome many describe as deeply unfair, culturally insensitive and emotionally distressing.”