All Saints Churchyard Statement - October 2023
We would like to express our sympathies with the relatives and friends of who have loved ones buried at the All Saints Graveyard over the unacceptable state of the site and the ongoing issues there.
Many of you have contacted us about this and we would like to explain the nature of these problems how we have been working to secure a resolution.
All Saints Graveyard is owned by the Diocese of St Albans. We do not have control over access, nor do we have legal rights over the land. Since April 2023, homeless persons have taken up residence on the site and have unfortunately littered the area with drug paraphernalia, excrement and flytipped materials.
As a Council, we have responsibility for the maintenance of the Churchyard. However in order to protect the safety of our staff and the health risks they are exposed to in relation to the above, we have had no choice but to suspend maintenance and withdraw the site warden staff.
Although it is not our responsibility to remove the homeless persons occupying the Church’s land and the Police are the only authority that can deal with any criminal activity, for the last six months we as a Town Council have been communicating with the Church/Diocese, Hertfordshire Police and Hertsmere Borough Council to seek a solution.
Unfortunately to date, the Church/Diocese as landowner has not been willing to engage in the legal proceedings involved for the police to assist with the removal of the homeless people from the churchyard and deal promptly with any reoccurrence.
The Town Council is solely responsible for the grass/hedge cutting and path maintenance at All Saints Closed Churchyard. We have no legal power to carry out any other work without the consent of the Church/Diocese who own the Churchyard.
We have also been engaging with Hertsmere Borough Council to obtain a Public Space Protection Order – but again, the Town Council has no legal power to progress this.
We will continue to liaise with the Church/Diocese, Police and Hertsmere Borough Council as well as Homeless charities and outreach workers to assist in the resolution of the matter where we can within our powers as a Town Council.
This situation has been very frustrating for us, and we regret the upset and distress it has caused relatives and visitors. Please be assured that resolving this is a priority for us and we will update you again soon.
