A petition regarding opening hours at Hampstead Cemetery was a key point of discussion at the Camden Culture and Environment Scrutiny Committee meeting on Monday, 10 November 2025.

The meeting will address a petition calling for the restoration of longer opening hours at Hampstead Cemetery, particularly during the extended daylight of spring and summer evenings. Currently, most Camden green spaces are open from 07:30 until dusk.

Jill Henry, a Fortune Green resident, presented a deputation on behalf of over 1,060 signatories, requesting the committee revisit its policy on restricted opening hours. The next step is for the Culture and Environment Scrutiny Committee to hear a deputation from Jill Henry on behalf of the petition signatories on November 10, 2025. The petition requests a clear and timely process for reviewing and reinstating longer opening hours.

According to the Supplementary Agenda 1, the petition argues that access to green space is directly linked to public health, and that the restriction of hours disproportionately affects older people, carers, and working residents. The deputation request also notes that the cemetery successfully operated seasonal hours before Covid, although the specific opening hours are not specified in the petition itself.

The deputation request asks the Scrutiny Committee and Council officers to consider and respond to the following topics:

  • Health equity and public health value of extended cemetery access, especially for elderly and less mobile residents.
  • Comparative access policies in other Camden green spaces.
  • Transparency around anti-social behaviour data and if or how this has been used to justify restricted hours.
  • Feasibility of a pilot extended hours scheme on a seasonal or trial basis.
  • Clarification on costs: actual operational costs vs. assumptions; costs of other parks and green spaces for comparison.
  • Position on volunteer dependence: will access be conditional on local groups sustaining unpaid support?

The Supplementary Agenda 1 also includes the key questions for the council:

  • Has Camden conducted a formal cost estimate for extended spring/summer hours at Hampstead Cemetery? If so, what are the figures and assumptions, and do they compare to those costs of extended hours at other green spaces?
  • What specific ASB data supports current restrictions? Can a summary be shared with residents and councillors?
  • What options exist for a pilot or phased trial of extended hours, perhaps starting with weekends or evenings only?
  • Would any pilot be professionally monitored and reviewed, or reliant on volunteers?
  • Would failure to sustain volunteer support result in reduced hours again? If so, is this a fair and viable model of service delivery?

Other items on the agenda included 'A New Met for London Phase 2', the Annual Report of the Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, the Cultural Strategy for Camden 2026-2031, and a Tree Planting Strategy Update.