The absence of support for low income households in meeting funeral costs in Bedford Borough is ‘appalling’, according to the Deputy Leader of the Council’s Conservative Group.
At a meeting of the Council’s Budget Scrutiny Committee last week, Cllr Roger Rigby asked Council officers what protections are in place for residents and their families struggling to pay cemetery and crematory fees in the midst of a 6% above-inflation increase from January.
Officers said in response that aside from holding a ‘pauper’s funeral’ for individuals and their families who cannot pay, no assistance is available.
The cost of a funeral has spiralled in Bedford Borough in recent years. In 2010 a garden burial cost £676, but the Council is now charging £1002.
Following the meeting Cllr Rigby said:
‘The Council has increased its cemetery and crematory fees by around 50% since 2010. For many families the prospect of paying for a funeral is now a massive financial headache at a time of great emotional distress.
‘Last year the House of Commons’ Work and Pensions Committee warned that funeral costs are pushing some families into debt and I am worried that we will see that increasingly in Bedford given the appalling lack of support for low income households.
‘It is time for the Council to stop these huge annual increases which are hurting those people most in need of support.’