Key Points
- Looming Crisis: The latest audit report of the City Hall has shown that almost half of the local authorities of London are heading for burial space insufficiency within the next 15 years.
- Severe Shortage: It is estimated that 17 local authorities of London will exhaust their burial space by 2040.
- Present Condition: There are three boroughs of London, which have already depleted their burial space. These are Camden, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets.
- Pressure: According to the predictions made by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the share of the London population above the age of 65 will go up to 40.9 per cent by 2040, and this will increase the demand for burial spaces.
- Solutions Suggested: The “London Plan” drafted by City Hall includes two possible ways to increase the number of burial spots, namely, “grey belt” (land of poor quality of the Green Belt) and the “reuse” of graveyards through deepening the existing graves.
- Action Required: It is necessary for the Mayor of London to use his convening powers to ensure a strategic city-wide response to this crisis.
- Legislation: There is currently no legislation requiring local authorities to provide burial space; however, a bill was recently introduced in the House of Lords by Liberal Democrat peers.
London (Extra London News) August 8, 2026 – The Mayor of London is facing urgent calls to exercise his convening powers to avert an impending burial space crisis that threatens to leave more than half of the capital’s local authorities without room to bury the dead within the next 15 years.
As reported by Kumail Jaffer of the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) for MyLondon, a stark new City Hall audit has exposed the severity of the situation. Projections indicate that 17 local authorities across the capital will reach full capacity by 2040. The crisis is not merely a future threat, however; the audit confirms that three boroughs—Camden, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets—currently have no remaining space for new burials.
Why is London facing a burial space crisis?
The root of the issue lies in a combination of finite land availability and a rapidly ageing population. According to ONS data referenced in the MyLondon report, the number of Londoners aged 65 and over is projected to hit 40.9 per cent by 2040. This shift in demographics will place unprecedented pressure on the city’s already strained cemetery infrastructure.
Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Hina Bokhari, who has been vocal about the issue, described the crisis as a deeply personal matter. As reported by MyLondon, Ms Bokhari recounted her own “struggle” 15 years ago to find a suitable burial site for her late father near their home in Merton—a challenge that she believes foreshadowed the systemic crisis now facing the capital.
“There is a real crisis point now that if we don’t face this issue now, there will be families at an increasing rate that are going to have the most devastating news of their loved one passing away, but then finding out that they can’t actually bury their loved one where they live,” Ms Bokhari told the LDRS.
What is the Mayor’s plan to fix the shortage?
In response to these findings, City Hall has integrated a section on “Burial Space” into its draft London Plan. This spatial development strategy encourages boroughs to plan proactively for the expansion and long-term provision of burial sites.
The draft plan suggests that councils may need to consider innovative, if controversial, measures. Among the proposals is the potential use of “grey belt” land—defined as low-quality Green Belt sites—for the creation of new cemeteries. Furthermore, the plan encourages the practice of “re-using” graves, a method that involves deepening existing plots to allow for double or triple interments.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London told the LDRS: “The draft London Plan makes clear that boroughs should plan pro-actively and collaboratively for the expansion, reuse, and long-term provision of burial space. In doing this, it’s important that they recognise cultural and faith needs.” The spokesperson added that councils should refer to the “Audit of London Burial Provision” to support the development of local policies.
Are councils legally required to provide burial space?
One of the most significant hurdles in addressing the crisis is a gap in current legislation. While local authorities have the power to provide and maintain cemeteries, they are not under a legal obligation to ensure there is enough burial space for their residents.
As reported by MyLondon, this has led to a situation where many London boroughs already rely on out-of-area provision due to a lack of available open space. To address this, Liberal Democrat peers in the House of Lords have introduced a bill that would mandate local authorities to track their burial capacity and include it in their development plans before space runs out.
Ms Bokhari emphasised that the status quo is unsustainable. “The audit has made that really clear that there needs to be a strategic London-wide approach,” she told the LDRS. “There needs to be a plan, but there needs to be action behind that plan. And I want the Mayor of London to lead on that action.”
She drew a parallel between this issue and the long-neglected crisis in social care, noting that burial capacity has similarly been a difficult subject that has been avoided for too long. “It’s the same way that other issues have become, only now starting to be highlighted… At some point, it’s going to be so prevalent that you cannot ignore it. So it’s important that we talk about it now,” she added.
Explore more Local London News:
No10 Slams Pub Standing Ban in Soho, London 2026
Solar Eclipse Weather Forecast and Clear Skies Outlook, London 2026
What are the challenges to re-using graves?
The prospect of grave re-use is not without its complications. While some cemeteries, such as the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium, have successfully implemented re-use schemes since 2009, the practice remains sensitive.
Research from the Cemetery Research Group, as noted in their “Audit of London Burial Provision,” highlights that although the London Local Authorities Act 2007 permits the disturbance of human remains in certain circumstances to increase capacity, very few boroughs have adopted these powers. Objections from local advocacy groups, such as the Friends of Camberwell Cemeteries, often centre on the lack of communication with relatives and the potential impact on the historic character of Victorian cemeteries.
Trevor Davis, a cemeteries manager in Westminster, has previously argued that re-use and “overvaulting” are the most effective ways to prevent cemeteries from overflowing. However, as noted in the MyLondon coverage, achieving a consensus on these measures across 32 different boroughs remains a formidable task for City Hall.
What does this mean for Londoners?
As the capital’s population continues to grow and age, the “postcode lottery” for burial space is likely to intensify. Families who wish to bury their loved ones in the boroughs they called home may soon find it impossible to do so, forcing them to look further afield—often at a higher financial and emotional cost.
The pressure is now firmly on the Mayor of London to coordinate a response that balances the urgent need for space with the cultural, religious, and logistical complexities of interring the dead in a city as dense as London. Whether through the repurposing of land or a radical shift in how the capital manages its historic cemeteries, officials warn that the window to act before the crisis reaches a breaking point is rapidly closing.
