Leading headstone restoration company GraveClean Limited has renewed its call for Warwick District Council to review its restrictive policy that bans independent professional firms from cleaning or restoring memorials in local cemeteries — a move the company says is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of national safety schemes.
The council currently allows only BRAMM (British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons) or RQMF (Register of Qualified Memorial Fixers)-registered masons to carry out any work on memorials — including simple cleaning.
Council justification — and GraveClean’s response
In correspondence to GraveClean, Pam Chilvers, Bereavement Services Manager at Warwick District Council, said this restriction helps the council “discharge its duty of care to visitors,” arguing that BRAMM and RQMF registration ensures that all work is carried out by people trained and insured to make memorials safe if required.
However, GraveClean argues that this reasoning misrepresents the purpose of the BRAMM and RQMF schemes, which are specifically designed to regulate the fixing and installation of memorials, not cleaning or surface restoration.
“Both BRAMM and RQMF certification relate solely to the structural fixing of memorials to the British Standard BS 8415,” said the company. “They do not cover cleaning, restoration, or surface care.
By enforcing these schemes on simple cleaning tasks, the council is applying the wrong standard and unfairly banning professional companies that already operate to far higher levels of safety and compliance.”
What BRAMM and RQMF actually cover
The BRAMM Scheme, created by the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM), and the RQMF qualification, verified through City & Guilds, ensure that memorials are safely fixed or refixed in the ground in accordance with BS 8415 — the national safety standard for memorial stability.
Neither scheme includes training or certification in cleansing, conservation, stone care, or restoration which are distinct disciplines covered by other industry frameworks.
“Requiring BRAMM or RQMF for cleaning is like insisting a structural engineer is needed to wash a window,” said the company. “It’s unnecessary, inconsistent, and creates an artificial barrier for families.”
Families left without service
The policy has already left residents without support:
- One disabled customer contacted GraveClean wishing to have her parents’ marble headstone cleaned, only to be told the company could not carry out the work within Warwick’s cemeteries. She was left with no alternative but to pay stonemason rates for a simple clean.
- Another customer, hoping to have her grandparents’ memorial cleaned and lettering restored, contacted five of the council’s “approved” masons after being refused access. None replied to her enquiry — showing that even approved providers are not offering or prioritising cleaning services.
“This is the real outcome of Warwick’s policy,” said the company. “Families are being left without service, and memorials continue to deteriorate.”
GraveClean’s commitment to safety and compliance
GraveClean stresses that it is the only nationwide company dedicated exclusively to professional headstone cleaning and restoration, operating with the same rigour and accountability as any construction contractor. All GraveClean technicians are fully employed staff, not subcontractors, and each technician:
- Performs documented risk assessments before beginning work
- Conducts push tests and safety inspections to identify unstable memorials
- Follows strict internal safety protocols if a memorial is deemed unsafe (including reporting and isolation procedures)
- Holds full Employers’ and Public Liability insurance
- Works in line with NAMM and conservation best practice
- Uses only pH-neutral, conservation-approved products, with full safety data sheets published publicly for transparency
Additionally, all GraveClean technicians are SIAM trained (Safety Inspection and Assessment of Memorials) a recognised NAMM-accredited module certifying competence in assessing and identifying unsafe memorials.
“We go beyond what’s required,” said the company “Our team is trained to the same safety inspection standard used by councils themselves. We test, we record, we report. There’s no safety gap, if anything, our approach sets the benchmark.”
Professionalism recognised by customers
GraveClean’s commitment to transparency and safety has earned the company hundreds of five-star Trustpilot reviews, with customers consistently praising its professionalism, respect, and compliance with local cemetery rules.
“We’re not a casual service,” said the company “We’re a professional, insured, safety-certified organisation — trusted by families, councils, and crematoria across the country. Yet Warwick’s current stance treats us as if we’re unqualified, which simply isn’t true.”
Regulatory escalation and next steps
GraveClean has now contacted the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to raise concerns that Warwick District Council’s approach may breach UK competition and consumer law by preventing legitimate market access and limiting family choice.
The company has also sought independent legal advice to examine whether the council’s actions could amount to an anti-competitive or unreasonable policy under the Local Authorities’ Cemeteries Order 1977.
“We respect local authorities’ duty of care,” said the company, “but the policy should be proportionate and evidence-based. There’s no justification for banning compliant professionals who are already certified to perform memorial safety checks.”
Call for modernisation and partnership
GraveClean is calling for Warwick District Council to introduce a modernised, transparent permit system allowing verified, insured cleaning specialists to operate safely under agreed terms — an approach already used successfully by other authorities such as Bristol, Birmingham, and Leeds.
“Safety and access can coexist,” said the company “Families deserve choice, and professionals like us deserve fair opportunity to serve them responsibly. Warwick’s cemeteries should not be left neglected because of outdated policy.”
About GraveClean
GraveClean Limited is the UK’s leading professional headstone cleaning and restoration company, providing nationwide services including cleaning, re-lettering, and gold-leaf regilding.
All work is carried out on site by fully employed, SIAM-trained technicians using pH-neutral, conservation-approved methods, with full public and employer liability insurance and strict adherence to safety and cemetery regulations.
Learn more at www.graveclean.co.uk or read verified customer feedback on Trustpilot, where families across the UK consistently rate GraveClean five stars for professionalism, quality, and respect.
Comments (0)
There are no comments for this article. Be the first one to leave a message!