London is facing a burial crisis as a City Hall audit reveals that more than half of the city's local authorities will run out of burial space within 15 years. The Mayor of London has been urged to use his convening powers to prevent this impending crisis.
17 Boroughs to Run Out of Space by 2040
Officials predict that 17 local authorities will have no burial space left by 2040, while three – Camden, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets – already have none. With London's population aging, ONS data projects that the proportion of people aged 65 and over will reach 40.9 per cent by 2040, increasing pressure on burial space.
Draft London Plan Proposes Solutions
City Hall's draft London Plan suggests that boroughs may need to use low-quality Green Belt land, known as 'grey belt', for additional capacity. It also recommends designing new graves for 're-use' by making them double or triple the usual depth.
Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Hina Bokhari shared her personal experience of struggling to find a burial space for her late father 15 years ago. She emphasized the urgency: "There is a real crisis point now that if we don’t face this issue now, there will be families at an increasing rate that are going to have the most devastating news of their loved one passing away, but then finding out that they can’t actually bury their loved one where they live."
Strategic London-Wide Approach Needed
The audit, released earlier this year, warns that many boroughs, particularly in inner London, are nearing capacity or have none left. Nine of 25 boroughs that responded said they relied on out-of-borough provision due to limited open space.
Ms Bokhari called for a strategic London-wide approach, saying: "There needs to be a plan, but there needs to be action behind that plan. And I want the Mayor of London to lead on that action." She urged the Mayor to use his convening powers to bring together cemeteries, faith communities, and boroughs to develop a concrete plan.
Grave Re-Use and Green Belt
The draft Local Plan encourages boroughs to "plan pro-actively for the expansion, re-use and long-term provision of burial space to meet future demand." Officials have told local authorities to re-use graves more than a century old, increase burial depth to allow multiple people to use one spot, and consider grey-belt and Green Belt sites.
Ms Bokhari welcomed the recognition but suggested that Green Belt solutions should be a last resort: "Before that, there are opportunities for local boroughs to look at their own land, look at the surrounding areas of their cemeteries that they currently have, and look at the potential of using their current lands that cannot be built, you know, for housing, for cemeteries."
Legislation and Future Action
In the House of Lords, Liberal Democrat peers have introduced a bill requiring councils to plan ahead and track capacity. Currently, local authorities are not legally required to provide burial space. If passed, the legislation would mandate guaranteed burial ground space within local development plans.
Ms Bokhari compared the issue to the social care crisis, stating: "This is gonna be the same. At some point, it’s going to be so prevalent that you cannot ignore it. So it’s important that we talk about it now."
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "The draft London Plan makes clear that boroughs should plan pro-actively and collaboratively for the expansion, reuse, and long-term provision of burial space. In doing this, it’s important that they recognise cultural and faith needs. Councils should also refer to the Audit of London Burial Provision, which provides evidence to support boroughs in developing local policies and planning for future burial provision, as part of their Local Plans."
