The Daily Advertiser spoke to a number of Coolamon residents yesterday, who all said they believed there should be some option for reservations.

The council's cemetery policy was reviewed in April following a request from an Ardlethan woman who wanted to reserve a plot next to her unmarried son, who died recently.

But council declined the request, saying it was against council policy to reserve plots because of financial considerations and a desire to keep plots in chronological order.

Coolamon resident Jenny Hill said as well as enabling families to be buried together, the option of reserving a plot could help take the strain off relatives when someone dies.

"You'd like to know that it's all put in order so the kids don't have to worry about it," she said.

Other councils across the region, including Wagga, offer the option of reserving plots in their cemeteries, which Mrs Hill said Coolamon could consider when revising its policy.

"They need to have a community meeting and see what people really think, from not only the older generation but the younger ones too," she said.

While two people The Daily Advertiser spoke to yesterday said they could see both sides of the argument, they agreed it was "a bit tough" not to allow reservations.

But Coolamon mayor Robert Menzies said last week he had received "a lot of community support" for the policy, which has been in place for 40 years.

Yesterday he stood by that claim.

"I have had a fair bit of support, all the feedback has been positive," Councillor Menzies said.

"They're good reasons for doing it."

Cr Menzies said he believed much of the criticism for the idea came from people outside the Coolamon shire, and the policy would not be reviewed again until it was due.

Coolamon Shire permits reservations in its monumental section of its cemeteries, as well as the niche wall and rose garden, but does not allow reservations in the lawn cemetery.