MINEHEAD Town Council has been accused of “an appalling response to a plea for compassion” by asking a grieving family to pay four times the normal rate for burying their mother.

The council ruled that Mrs Bernice Luty, who had previously lived for 16 years in the town, was a “non-resident” even though she was set to move back to a house in Periton Rise the day after her death on October 30.

As a result, despite requests from her family and the undertakers, the town council insisted on applying its “quadruple fees for non-residents” rule.

That would have resulted in a rise in burial fees from £850 to £3,400 and an increase in the headstone fee from £130 to £520.

Describing it as “blatant profiteering from our grief”, Mrs Luty’s family cancelled the burial set to take place at Minehead cemetery last Friday and moved it to Dunster.

“Dunster’s fees, doubled for a non-parishioner, were still less than Minehead’s standard fee for residents,” said Mrs Luty’s son Kurt, who is set to put the case before Minehead council’s complaints panel on Wednesday, November 22.

The case has already had repercussions in the town council with several councillors distancing themselves from the decision.

Cllr Mark Kingston-James, who recently joined the town council, resigned from the authority last week.

In reply to Mr Luty’s letter, Minehead mayor Cllr Jean Parbrook wrote: “I note in your letter to the town clerk that you wish to make a formal complaint.

“Minehead Town Council has a complaints procedure which it must adhere to. You can find the procedure on the council’s website.

“I am very sorry that your mother has died. Please accept my sincere condolences.”

Mr Luty told the Free Press: “I am not complaining that the council was not following the procedures as set out, because they have done that to the letter.

“My complaint is that I made an appeal to them not to follow the procedures to the letter and that wasn’t given any consideration."

Cllr Parbrook told the Free Press that she would chair the panel which would contain a cross-section of councillors.

“A hearing like this is very rare and I obviously can’t prejudice it by commenting on the complaint, but everyone is entitled to air a grievance and get a fair hearing and that will certainly happen in this case,” she said.

Full story in the Free Press