Headstone Stabilisation Inspection Programme

West Lothian Council maintain 32 cemeteries and churchyards. The council has an obligation to ensure that these burial grounds are safe. As such, the council aim to inspect all headstones and other memorials items once every 5 years. Unstable headstones pose a public safety risk. Headstones can become unsafe when they are no longer secured to the foundation/plinth. If in poor condition, headstone pose a risk of falling naturally or falling if pushed or climbed on by the public.

Headstones are the property of the lairholder, and as such when inspected and found to be unsafe, the council will typically notify the lairholder that a repair is required. The council will typically notify by posting a notice on the headstone and also contacting the lair holder to notify them a repair is required (if council hold contact details). The council reserve the right to lay flat those headstones of particular safety concern. Once notified, it is the lairholders responsibility to make the headstone safe by having a qualified stonemason lay the stone flat (if not done by council), remove, or repair. In older cemeteries, burials may not have taken place for decades or centuries, and the council may have no realistic chance of contacting a lairholder or family members. In such cases, the council will reserve the right to undertake safety works itself.

It should be noted that during the course of inspecting headstones, in order to access headstone and check foundation, there will often be a requirement to remove kerbs/fences/chips and any other unauthorised memorials. As these items are not permitted under the cemetery management rules, these will not be permitted to be replaced after inspection and any subsequent repair. 

Cemetery management rules can be viewed here. 

The council will typically ask lairholders to remove unauthorised items prior to inspection. However if the family do not remove or the council has no contact details for lairholder/family, unauthorised items will be removed and laid at the end of the row of lairs for families to collect.  If not collected, these will be disposed of.  Authorised small items including vases and flowers will be placed at foot of lair itself to allow inspection.

In addition to individual communication with lairholders, signs will typically be displayed in a cemetery that is under inspection or repair programme to inform all users. Any questions or concerns regarding headstones can be addressed through the council contact centre here.

Works can be organised with a funeral director or a suitably qualified stone mason.

Apologies for and distress or anxiety this work or laying flat of memorials causes. This has been undertaken in the interests of public safety.