PEOPLE Before Profit councillor Michael Collins is set to bring a motion to a Belfast City Council committee meeting tonight, to try to scrap £1,260 burial fees in Blaris Cemetery for Colin residents.
Speaking ahead of the in the People and Communities committee meeting, Cllr Collins said: "Many residents living in Twinbrook, Lagmore, Mount Eagles, Poleglass and Dunmurry are rightly concerned about these unjust burial fees.
"Residents from these areas who purchased graves in Blaris Cemetery prior to 2015, are being charged over three times (£1,260) that of Lisburn residents (£340) to open graves to bury their loved ones."
Last year, the Andersonstown News spoke to some of those affected by the costs which were introduced after the Colin area was moved into the Belfast City Council boundary following the creation of Super Councils in 2015.
"It is completely unacceptable that residents of Colin should be asked to pay more than treble the amount of Lisburn ratepayers, for the exact same service," Cllr Collins continued.
"During a cost of living crisis, many residents have been blindsided by these unjust charges and are struggling to cover these extortionate costs at a time of grieving.
"People Before Profit is campaigning to have these fees scrapped and will push for this inside Council. Hopefully we can gain support of all parties to ensure this practice of overcharging Colin residents to bury loved ones is scrapped.
"The more voices we can raise against this, the more pressure we can put on Council to have this unjust practice scrapped. If anyone else is affected, please give me a call on 07927688875."
