A TOWN council will uphold a decision to leave the gates of two town cemeteries unlocked at night despite a 630-name petition and passionate pleas from some residents.

Spennymoor Town Council decided to stop locking the gates of both its cemeteries last month after receiving requests from about 11 people for increased access.

However, many residents, who have relatives buried in Spennymoor Cemetery and Tudhoe Cemetery fear the unlit cemeteries will become a haunt for trouble makers and vandals.

A petition calling for the gates to be relocked at night has amassed more than 600 signatures.

At meeting of the council’s services and amenities committee at Spennymoor Town Hall last night (Tuesday, May 12), resident Darren Moore questioned the lack of consultation.

He accused the council of misleading the public by not publicising the £9,500 saving it would make by not paying staff to lock the gates, adding: “They’ve made it sound like they are responding to a request from residents when there are far more residents against this. It’s all about money.”

This claim was dismissed by councillors who said they had been open about the financial saving, which comes at a time of Government funding cuts.

Councillor Geoff Darkes, an Independent, proposed the council locked the gates at 9pm in the summer and at dusk in the winter, creating an annual cost of £3,700.

The motion, met with claps and cheers from members of the public, was backed by fellow independent Councillor Kevin Thompson, who called for more consultation.

Councillor Ian Geldard, leader of the Labour-controlled council, put forward an amended proposal for the gates to remain unlocked but the matter reviewed if and when a problem arises.

He pointed out the CCTV at both sites, adding: “The cemetery gates have been open for about a month and since then there have been no incidents of vandalism reported to us or the police at either cemetery.

“We are listening to the people of Spennymoor but a petition of 630 people is not all of Spennymoor. There are 15,000 residents.”

Cllr Geldard’s amendment received the most votes and was passed.

Outside of the meeting, objector Louis Lowery said: “They say a petition of 630 people is not all of Spennymoor yet they claim the decision to open the gates is in response to ten to 12 requests from the public.”

One woman described the decision as “disgusting,” while another said she felt let down by the Labour party.