A GRIEVING father who lives in Droitwich is desperate to bury his son’s ashes with his mum in Redditch but has been hit with a £570 charge to lay him to rest because it is in a neighbouring town.
Adam Langford moved four years ago and passed away while living in Droitwich, but his father Brian said as he was born and bred in Redditch they should be able to bury his ashes next to his mother who was murdered in 2004.
But Redditch Borough Council is now charging the family three times the normal cost to do so at Redditch Crematorium.
Brian said the only reason his son moved from Redditch was to escape the tragic memories of seeing his mum killed but had planned to return.
Mr Langford said it was shocking the authorities would charge them extra after the dramatic experiences his son had as youngster after seeing his mother brutally killed.
He added: “Adam was a troubled man and moved away from Redditch for a short while to try and escape from everything he had seen.
“But he missed his family too much and did try to return to Redditch where he was born and raised, the same as me.”
Adam was 39 when he passed away due to a weak heart after suffering mental health problems caused by his mum’s death.
A Redditch Borough Council spokesperson said: “These are very tragic circumstances and we offer our condolences to the family.
“But because Adam had lived outside of Redditch for four years, he is classed as a non-resident and not eligible for the subsidised service.”
She added the decision was made to ‘maintain fairness to all those who had paid triple fees and to continue to provide the subsidised service to our taxpayers’.
And she said, even without subsidies, Redditch’s fees and charges remained the lowest in the Midlands and were agreed by councilors each year.
19th Apr, 2024
