ACCUSATIONS of discrimination and insensitivity were this week levelled at Tavistock Town Council after abortive attempts by residents to visit one of the town?s cemeteries.
Sandra Wright, of Horrabridge, said her elderly father was ?absolutely heartbroken? that he has been unable to visit his wife?s grave for months, because of the council?s policy of restricting vehicular access to Plymouth Road Cemetery.
Mrs Wright said her father is unable to make the walk to her mother?s grave, which is at the uppermost part of the cemetery.
She said: ?Since the superintendent is no longer resident within the grounds, the access gates are constantly locked.
?I believe the only way to gain access by car is to contact the superintendent and arrange an appointment ? appointment slots for cars are on Wednesday afternoons only.?
Mrs Wright said she worked full-time, so Wednesday afternoons were not an option. As a non-driver, her father could only visit his wife?s grave with her and therefore had been unable to go to the cemetery for several months, a situation they both found ?distressing?.
She slammed the council?s access policy as ?ill-conceived? and ?extremely insensitive?.
?I do not want to have to plan my visits to the cemetery for anniversaries, birthdays or just to spend time with my mother around the availability of someone to come and unlock the gates for us ? and to have those visits restricted to a certain time of a working day,? said Mrs Wright.
And a disabled woman from South Brent has accused the council of discrimination following an agonising visit to the cemetery.
Jacqueline Tarr came to town recently to visit her parents? and relatives graves. But Mrs Tarr, who is wheelchair-bound, said she faced a shock when she and her daughter drove up to the cemetery gates.
Mrs Tarr said: ?We discovered you can only drive into the cemetery on a Wednesday between 2pm and 5pm. I haven?t been to Tavistock for more than nine months because of my disability and this came as quite a shock. We didn?t take the wheelchair because you could drive right in.
?I struggled to walk to my parents? graves and I was in so much agony by the time we got there, I was literally hobbling.
?It was all I could do to put the flowers on the grave ? I felt I was letting them down,? said Mrs Tarr.
?I can?t be the only disabled person that doesn?t live in Tavistock and wants to visit their loved ones.
?I really feel they are discriminating against disabled people and older people who can?t walk very far.?
Town clerk Roger Howard said the cemetery gates were kept locked to restrict vehicular access, as the roads within were deteriorating and the council could not afford to repair them.
It was also felt that cars driving around the cemetery would detract from the atmosphere of ?peace and respect?.
He said the gates were opened for blue badge holders on Wednesday afternoons and at other times by appointment. In addition, if staff were in the area they had instructions to open the gates without an appointment.
Col Howard said the council did all it could to accommodate everybody?s needs. The comments by Mrs Wright and Mrs Tarr would be put before the cemeteries sub-committee for further consideration.
Town mayor Norma Woodcock said: ?I am very sorry this has happened. We have a cemetery sub-committee and we try to keep a very close eye to make sure everyone is catered for.?
Cllr Woodcock said staff at the cemetery were always happy to open the gates in special cases. She said the council also had to balance the needs of vehicle users with a duty of care to pedestrian visitors to the cemetery, bearing in mind the narrow road within the site.
The half-gate at the cemetery was always open to enable people with a wheelchair to enter. The council was intending to install disabled toilets at the cemetery in coming months, she added.