BURY Council is to launch a review into its policies surrounding Jewish and Muslim burials.

The move comes after town hall chiefs voted unanimously to carry a motion tabled by Cllr Oliver Kersh at a meeting of the full council.

A multi-agency advisory panel, including members of the public, will also be created as a result of the vote.

Cllr Kersh, who is himself Jewish, told the chamber he was inspired to put forward the motion following the recent death of his grandfather.

He said: “In the Jewish and Muslim communities, no matter the hour, we have a responsibility to the deceased to lay them to rest as soon as possible, only then can the formal grieving process begin.

“This is not limited to faith-based practices either. Residents in Bury who are not religious or adherents of religious practice may seek to bury their loved-ones as soon as process allows.”

Cllr Kersh, added that “for the most part” things ran smoothly and thanked the various agencies involved for this.

He outlined problems with registration and certification of death but added that things did “not always go the way they were supposed to”.

He added: “Pitfalls in the system can cause great distress to families at the height of their grief.”

Cllr Judith Kelly, cabinet member for corporate affairs and regulatory services, extended her sympathies to Cllr Kersh and said the Labour group would be supporting the motion.

She said: “The death of loved-ones is a very difficult time for families of all faiths and the council wants to make that time as easy as it possibly can be and remove any unnecessary barriers.”

Cllr Kelly added that the authority’s bereavement service and registrars were “very experienced and supportive” and provided families with appropriate support.

Referring to Cllr Kersh’s motion, which said the current system was “rigid” and could be perceived as “insensitive”, she explained that some of the procedures were governed by law.

And she told the chamber that in the case of “faith deaths” there were three Jewish and two Muslim community leaders who acted as deputies to the registrar’s and made arrangements for burials to take place.

She also said that while out-of-hours funerals were rare, systems were in place to allow them.

Cllr Jane Black, who is herself of the Jewish faith, said she had spoken to four synagogues and Jewish organisation about the motion.

She said: “The responses I received don’t suggest the tremendous problems to persist, although, although obviously problems do still occur.”

However, Cllr Black, who will be sworn in as the next Mayor of Bury, added that she would support the motion along with the Labour group.

And she suggested that the multi-agency group to be created in response to it should make further recommendations about its role and terms of reference once an initial meeting had been held.