OIC convener ‘delighted’ with headstone re-erection progress

September 18, 2019 at 4:47 pm

A controversial kirkyard safety scheme saw hundreds of headstones across the county laid flat, earlier this year — with some families claiming they were never notified.

Work to re-erect headstones pulled down as part of a controversial council safety scheme is progressing, according to the latest reports from Orkney Islands Council.

The scheme, launched in May 2018, saw hundreds of gravestones across Orkney taken down without clear warning or direct contact with relatives. Back in February, the council issued an official apology to those affected, with promises to repair the damage with no cost to families.

Despite delays in work to re-erect the memorials, OIC announced today, Wednesday, that work in five cemeteries is now complete — with another expected to conclude shortly. The results of an investigation into the kirkyard safety scheme are due to be discussed at a meeting of the OIC monitoring and audit committee on Thursday, September 26.

According to the council, training events were held during July to bolster the availability of council staff and local construction firms trained in the inspection, maintenance and repair of headstones in the county. The provision of the training has allowed the council to work with two local contractors to speed up the process of reinstating the stones laid down last year. The council have confirmed that work in Stenness, Sandwick and three Hoy kirkyards now completed and St Olafs due to complete in the next few weeks — subject to fair weather continuing.

The council claim that the intention of the original scheme was that only those stones deemed by the council to be at the greatest risk of toppling would be laid flat and that, where records would allow, families would be contacted in advance. OIC says it has now recognised that these intentions were not met.

Council Convener Harvey Johnston said: “I am pleased to see work speed up on this since the training took place in the summer.

“I’m delighted with the progress, and local folk should start to see a difference in the kirkyards as the work goes on.”

According to the council, work will soon be getting underway to identify and make safe stones where required in the remainder of Orkney’s kirkyards as part of a continuous programme of public safety over the months and years ahead.