MORE than a decade since Joe Oldham began his battle over cemetery regulations, he has received an apology and a “confidential settlement” from Farnham Town Council.

The issue arose after the authority changed the regulations, resulting in West Street cemetery being classed as a “lawned cemetery”. This meant that only headstones were allowed, not full kerbed gravestones.

But the council admitted it “failed to advise the local undertakers in sufficient time” about this alteration.

As such, Mr Oldham, of Firgrove Road, Whitehill, said he was unaware of the change which occurred just two weeks before he bought the plot for his wife in November 2006.

Janie Oldham had fought a two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer and, having chosen a stone and kerbstone, asked to be buried in West Street with a grave similar to those of her relatives.

In 2009, the Farnham Herald reported that, after being told he could not fulfil his wife’s wishes, Mr Oldham made the decision to put three marble vases on the plot instead of the full kerb, but was told by Farnham Town Council that even this had to be removed.

He went on to take the “extreme measure” of having his late-wife’s body exhumed and re-buried in Whitehill cemetery.

The council has now “unreservedly apologised” to Mr Oldham and his family for the distress caused. Had Mr Oldham been made properly aware of the changes, the council said “other arrangements would have been made”.

Farnham Town Council acknowledged that Mr Oldham had to appeal against its decision which he found “greatly distressing”. The matter could have been dealt with “in a more sensitive way”, he said.

The town council said it has “listened to Mr Oldham, who states that personnel, who are no longer council officers, treated him in a way that was rude and discourteous to the extent that he perceived their attitude toward him to be racist in nature, due to his Romany background”.

However, the council insisted it does not and has “never tolerated any racial prejudice or discrimination”.

In a mutually agreed statement, Farnham Town Council stated:

“The council has much regret that he experienced such distress that he felt he had to take the extreme measure of having his late-wife’s body exhumed and re-buried at Whitehill cemetery, and acknowledges that it did not accede to his request that racism should be on the exhumation form.

“The council states it has learned lessons from this matter and has implemented a number of measures to ensure that the problems encountered by Mr Oldham have not been, and will never be, repeated.

“The council thanks Mr Oldham for his co-operation in working to find an appropriate resolution to a matter which has been very upsetting to him over many years. His assistance is appreciated and they extend their good wishes to him for the future.

“A confidential settlement has now been agreed with Mr Oldham for the inconvenience, distress and additional costs he incurred in pursuing this matter.”

Iain Lynch, town clerk, said the council now “make sure any changes to the regulations don’t come in with immediate effect to give people the chance to know about it”.