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Highgate Cemetery row heads to Charity Commission 2

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 27 May 2009

Internal disputes at the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust have sparked two complaints to the Charity Commission.

Clashes over governance issues including the length of trustee terms and how to plan the future of the grade-II listed cemetery, which is home to the graves of Karl Marx and George Eliot, have become public after more than a year of being waged within the organisation.

The dispute became personal this week as Caroline Coombes, a longstanding friend of the cemetery, told a local newspaper that “people are terrified of [chairwoman] Jean Pateman and are terrified about being expelled if they speak out”.

A Charity Commission spokeswoman said: "Concerns have been raised with us about the governance of the charity, Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust, which we are currently considering. The Charity Commission is providing advice and guidance to the charity."

Speaking to Charity News Alert, Pateman declined to comment on the personal criticism and said that the main concern of both herself and the charity was to retain the sacred nature of the burial place. However, she acknowledged that the Charity Commission had to respond to all complaints. Pateman has been involved with the Trust for more than 30 years.

The Trust will hold its annual general meeting tonight, Wednesday 29 April, where it is expected to discuss proposals to limit the length of time trustees can serve on the board; proposals initially raised by the Protector of Highgate Cemetery, Robin Farilie, at the AGM last year.

These battles have become public after London Mayor Boris Johnson controversially listed the heritage site (pictured as a top London tourist attraction, despite concerns among many that increased visitor numbers could damage the cemetery. Highgate Cemetery saw an 80 per cent increase in visitor volumes in the last year alone.

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