The Longreach Shire Council has backed down on a controversial proposal to ban plastic flowers and ornaments at the local cemetery.

Mayor Pat Tanks says it was thought a ban would help council staff maintain the cemetery and keep it tidy.

But he says in a hot climate a fresh-flowers only policy just would not have been practical.

Councillor Tanks says feedback from the community will be used to formulate a new policy, which will allow plastic flowers.

“We’re going to take all those considerations from all those letters that we had to formulate a policy and plastic flowers will be part of that policy that will be allowable,” Cr Tanks said.

“We have some work to do on ornaments, you’ve got to realise and people have to realise that it’s a lawn cemetery and not an ornamental cemetery and I’m sure we can find some common ground there.”