The Westminster cemeteries scandal was a British

political scandal In politics, a political scandal is an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage. Politicians, government officials, Political party, party officials and Lobbying, lobbyists can be accused of various ...

which began in January 1987 when

Westminster City Council Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2022. Full council meetings ...

(WCC) sold three cemeteries, three lodges, one flat, a

crematorium A crematorium, crematory or cremation center is a venue for the cremation of the Death, dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a ...

and over of prime development land in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

for a total of 85

pence A penny is a coin (: pennies) or a unit of currency (: pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. At present, it is t ...

. The three cemeteries – Hanwell Cemetery (formerly City of Westminster Cemetery),

East Finchley Cemetery East Finchley Cemetery is a cemetery and crematorium in East End Road, East Finchley. Although it is in the London Borough of Barnet, it is owned and managed by the City of Westminster.Shirley Porter Dame Shirley, Lady Porter DBE (''née'' Cohen; born 29 November 1930) is a British politician who led Westminster City Council in London from 1983 to 1991, representing the Conservative Party. She is the daughter and heiress of Sir Jack Cohe ...

, the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

leader of WCC at the time, in order to save the annual maintenance costs of £422,000, with the upkeep of the cemeteries passing to the new owner. However, the deal had been handled with such incompetence by WCC that the maintenance agreement only applied to the immediate purchaser of the cemeteries and not to any subsequent owners; the cemeteries were re-sold by the purchaser for £1.25 million on the same day that he had acquired them. Without maintenance, the cemeteries soon became overgrown, headstones were vandalised, and they were frequented by drug addicts.

Declaration that the sale was unlawful

In 1988, following a public outcry, the

Local Government Ombudsman The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO), legally the Commission for Local Administration in England and formerly known as the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO), investigates complaints from members of the public about councils and ...

ruled that WCC had to buy back the graves, and in February 1990 the

District Auditor A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

ruled that the sale was unlawful. WCC bought back the graves in June 1992 at a cost of £4.25 million. They were unable to repurchase any of the unused land – which had been "sold on by property developers for housing at an enormous profit" – or the buildings, including the crematorium. When the cemeteries were eventually reacquired by WCC, part of the deal required them to award an annual maintenance contract back to a company with connections to the seller. Peter Bradley, the deputy Leader of the Labour Group at Westminster Council, said:

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * {{Cite book , title= Nothing Like a Dame , first=Andrew , last=Hosken , publisher=Granta Books, location=London , year=2006 , isbn=978-1-86207-809-3 1987 scandals 1987 in British politics 1987 in London 1980s in the City of Westminster Politics of the City of Westminster Conservative Party (UK) scandals

Declaration that the sale was unlawful

See also

References