Westmeath county council must seek the views of the public when it comes to the future of burial and interment.
That's according to Councillor Aengus O'Rourke, who called on the local authority to conduct a survey of citizens in the Athlone/Moate Municipal District.
Councillor O'Rourke, who is the current chair of the county council, believes that when it comes to end of life preparations and goodbyes, trends are changing rapidly.
The council holds responsibility for the provision of cemeteries and graveyards, with some resting places close to capacity according to the councillor.
In response to the motion, the council executive stated that current cemetery policy is due to be updated by the end of the year, with consultation planned with elected members, religious representatives and members of the undertaking sector.
Speaking to Let's Talk today, Aengus says many people are moving away from traditional burials.
''There is a trend change happening out there and the option for example for cremations has certainly spiked in recent years and clearly the place where people will be buried will need to change step with that change , so there's been no step change as far as I can see in Athlone so rather than knee jerk our way through this I'd like us to do our homework first.''
