Public health funerals cost councils £1.56m a year

Thousands of people are still dying alone and lonely every year, with councils having to bury people without family or friends willing or able to pay for a funeral, according to new figures.

A new report published by the Local Government Association reveals councils across England and Wales spent £1.56 million last year providing about 2,200 public health funerals, up from £1.46 million the previous year.

Cemetery and bereavement officers said a lack of any traceable family or friends, or relatives refusing to pay, were the main reasons for this.

The survey, based on 208 council responses, shows one authority spent £368,682 fulfilling its duty on 258 burials.

Under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, when a resident in the area passes away outside of a hospital and there is no one else willing to pay, councils make the necessary arrangements for a public health funeral.

Cllr David Rogers, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“These tragic figures speak for themselves. People, mostly elderly, are dying around us with no family or friends nearby to care for them. It is a sad fact that there are thousands of people across the country with no family or friends to arrange, attend or pay for their funeral. Nobody should find themselves in that position.

“Our ageing population is growing rapidly and so is the worrying picture of isolation and loneliness across the country.

“Though little known, providing a funeral with the respect and dignity that people deserve is just one of the services that people in need can rely on their council for.”

Numbers of public health funerals differ greatly between different types of councils. On average there are 12 per year in English single tier authorities – London boroughs, metropolitan and unitary councils - and three in districts and Welsh authorities. Individual funeral costs varied from about £300 to £3,000, the average being £959, with average annual expense ranging from £2,582 for Welsh authorities to £13,750 in London boroughs.

During the past three years the number of public health funerals and costs to councils has remained about the same. Three quarters are for men, and more than half are aged over 65.

Cllr Rogers added:
“Any claim from somebody unable or unwilling to pay for a person’s funeral will be fully investigated before a decision is made. If the council decides to take responsibility, it will be entitled to recover expenses from any estate left by the deceased in the form of a civil debt.”