'It's disgraceful': Man outraged at costs of burial plot for mum who worked in Wakefield for 40 years
A man said the cost of a burial plot for his mother who worked in Wakefield for decades was vastly overpriced because she had moved away at the time of her death.
Joan Prince lived and worked in Wakefield for more than 40 years but moved to Hornsea after she retired.
Her son John Prince was told the cost of a plot at Wakefield Cemetery on Doncaster Road was £2,390 with an additional £300 to intern her ashes.
If she had died in Wakefield it would have cost £1,500 but there was an additional charge because she didn’t live in the district at the time of her death.
Mr Prince said: “I think it’s disgraceful and it doesn’t make any sense to me. It's been quite upsetting as all my family are from the Wakefield area.
“Mum lived more than half of her life in the city. She worked as a teacher for the local education authority, teaching thousands of children as well as bringing up me and my brother on her own.
“We weren’t well off, but we were comfortable and we shared everything. Mum gave every penny she had to us, so didn’t leave a great deal.
“I’m the only one left now, so I’ve had to cover every expense after Mum passed away, which hasn’t been easy.”
Joan taught thousands of children, was part of what was then called the Ethnic Minority Support Service and taught English as a second language.
She was member of a member of Flanshaw United Reformed Church, which closed down in September 2024.
Mr Prince said: “Mum always dreamed of living by the seaside since being a little girl. After she retired she was able to fulfil that dream, and we moved to Hornsea for the last couple of years of her life.
“To be told that it will now cost hundreds and hundreds of pounds more to get a family grave, and intern Mum's ashes just because she didn’t have a WF postcode when she died, is ludicrous.
“Does that mean that if someone moves to Wakefield and passes away after a month, they pay less just because they have a Wakefield postcode?
“It’s almost like you have to choose where you die now, so your loved ones don’t have to pay extra when you're gone.
“All I want is a permanent memorial for all my family members to remember them by. I want to honour them together in the best way possible.”
He believes the Wakefield Council should reassess its policy.
Vicky Stead, the council’s head of life events, said: “Like all councils, we charge an out of area burial charge for non-Wakefield residents to help protect cemetery space for residents who do live in the area.
“However, we understand that this is already an extremely difficult time for families and we’d encourage families to get in touch with us directly, as exemptions can be made. We judge each request on an individual basis.”
Search “A family grave - Hobman and Prince” on GoFundMe if you would like to contribute to the burial costs.