An Aberdeen councillor who herself suffered a miscarriage has backed controversial council plans to remove mementos from the graves of babies at a city cemetery.
Letters were sent out to bereaved families last month to let them know that items like cuddly toys would be removed from Hazlehead Cemetery.
Aberdeen City Council said the items need to be moved for health and safety reasons due to staff cutting grass on the site and have pledged to increase the hard area next to the headstones.
Bosses originally said that the mementos would be taken to a memorial garden before being disposed of if not claimed within six weeks.
More than 1,000 have since signed a petition against the plan which some grieving parents have described as “heartless” and the plan has now been postponed to enable more discussion with those affected.
But Hazlehead, Queens Cross and Countesswells independent councillor Jennifer Stewart, who herself lost a child 26 years ago, said: “I really feel for people who have lost a baby or a child and are in the depths of grief and I understand putting these items down for a period.
“But I have also had constituents come to me to complain about the standard of grass cutting in the cemetery and others who can be disturbed by some of the items.
“I think a graveyard needs to be a solemn place for people to go and find a bit of peace and solace.
“When people die by the roadside there are tributes put up for a little while but then they are removed.
“I realise there will be some backlash to what I am saying but I think there are people out there who share my views but don’t come forward because they are scared.”
SNP councillor for the area, John Cooke, said he thought the authority could have handled the issue “much more sensitively”.
He added: “I’m contemplating asking to see the health and safety advice to see exactly what is being said.
“As a parent myself I can’t imagine anything worse than losing a child, it must be every parent’s worst nightmare.
“If this comes down to a cuddly toy on the grass then I am struggling to see the health and safety issue. It seems more like an administrative convenience.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “Several parents have confirmed meetings with our officers so we will speak with them privately in due course.
“We fully appreciate this is a sensitive subject and upsetting for some parents.
“We have a duty of care that the cemetery is safe, accessible and presentable for all people who come to visit graves and we are responsible for the upkeep of the cemetery.”
