Redditch council bill blows bid to bury son's ashes next to his mother

A REDDITCH father is outraged at the borough council which has hit him with a £570 bill to bury his son’s ashes next to his mother.
Brian Langford wishes to lay his son, Adam, to rest with his mother who was buried in Redditch Crematorium after she was murdered in 2004, but as he spent his last few months living in Droitwich the council is charging the family three times the amount for borough residents.
Mr Langford said it was shocking the authorities would charge them extra after the dramatic experiences his son had as youngster after seeing his mother brutally killed by a man who had been released on licence following the murder of another woman.
He added: “Adam was a troubled man and moved away from Redditch for a short while to try and escape from everything he had seen.
“But he missed his family too much and did try to return to Redditch where he was born and raised, the same as me.
“It is bad enough that this man was allowed out, was not monitored and was able to murder his mum in the most horrific way but now they want to charge us even more to lay them to rest together. It is just unacceptable.”
Adam was 39-years-old when he passed away due to a weak heart after suffering mental health problems since he witnessed the ordeal.
A council spokesperson said: “These are very tragic circumstances and we offer our condolences to the family.
“But because Adam had lived outside of Redditch for four years, he is classed as a non resident and not eligible for the subsidised service.
“To maintain fairness to all that have paid triple fees in the past and to continue to provide the subsidised service to our taxpayers, we have to make these difficult decisions
“Our fees and charges, even without the subsidies, remain among the lowest in the West Midlands and indeed nationally and are agreed by councillors each year.”