Postcode lottery for council funerals: new research finds glaring inconsistencies among local authorities, letting down bereaved people
16 July 2024Many UK councils are failing bereaved and deceased people who need a local authority funeral, new research by Quaker Social Action (QSA) has found. In some cases, this could involve preventing mourners from attending funerals or collecting ashes, or lead to deceased people’s wishes for burial or cremation at council funerals being disregarded.
Councils have a legal duty to carry out a funeral for someone who dies in their area where no one else is making arrangements. This includes when someone has no next of kin, or people on very low incomes can’t afford funeral costs [more in Notes to Editors]. But the report, ‘A patchwork of provision: council funerals across the UK', funded by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, shows that many councils are not providing sufficient, accessible or accurate information, either on their websites or via phone enquiries.
Researchers say this shows voluntary guidelines for council funerals in England and Wales are not working, with results suggesting that more than half of councils are not fully following them. No guidelines or standards exist at all in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Quaker Social Action, whose expert service Down to Earth supports people struggling with funeral costs, found:
- More than a third (36) of 102 council websites surveyed across the UK had no information online for the public about council funerals.
Nearly 4 in 10 councils appeared to suggest that they could choose burial or cremation against the deceased person’s wishes, narrowly interpreting legal requirements here. This is of the 46 councils having a legal duty regarding the wishes of the deceased person who either in a call or on their website indicated some awareness of
Of the 66 councils that had online information, over a quarter (18) had no contact details for people who need to notify the council of a death needing a council funeral.
Less than half (29/66 websites) said whether people can attend council funerals.
Only just over a quarter (17/66 websites) clearly stated that cremated remains, or ashes, can be collected.
7 in 10 of the 66 websites contained incorrect or misleading information. Half of this wrong information was about key details of the circumstances in which a council funeral can take place, including: residency of the deceased; responsibility of next of kin; and recovery of funeral costs from family members.
Phone call research to 54 councils often revealed a maze-like process that bereaved people would have to go through to reach the right department at some councils.
Only around a third of calls reached the correct departments. In calls that got through, unnecessary barriers were sometimes put up, such as insisting referrals had to be made by a coroner or GP. Incorrect information was sometimes given over the phone, such as council funerals only being possible when there are no surviving family members.
Some encouraging results show councils can do a good job:
Doncaster, Kingston, Lewisham, Northumberland, Oldham and Southampton all said online that they either accept verbal wishes for burial, not just written, or that they will speak with family or next of kin to help determine the deceased person’s wishes.
Camden gave a lot of information about what is provided, which it said will be ‘in line with the deceased's wishes wherever possible’, including a religious or non-religious service and ‘sufficient bearers to transfer the coffin to the chapel’.
Leicester and Rochdale were described as sympathetic and keen to counter any perception of stigma, by phone call researchers.
Key recommendations include:
The UK Government, Northern Ireland Executive and Scottish Government must introduce statutory minimum standards for council funerals to ensure consistent practice. At the moment there are only voluntary guidelines for England and Wales, and nothing at all to guide standards in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Councils should
- ensure there is clear, easily accessible and accurate information on council funeral provision on every council main website. It should include direct contact details (email and phone) for the council team responsible for council funerals.
- give training and support to council staff who come into direct contact with bereaved people.
- review policies to recognise the deceased person’s wishes regarding burial or cremation, allowing attendance and the return of ashes.
Lindesay Mace, Down to Earth Co-Manager (influencing lead) said: "This report shows that there is an urgent need for statutory minimum standards for council funerals and the new UK Government, and the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive can and must introduce them. We found huge variations in provision among local authorities, with gaps and inaccuracies in online information and inaccessible phone systems acting as barriers to people needing a council funeral. There are also worrying signs that some councils may not be meeting their legal duties around honouring the cremation or burial wishes of the person who died. All of this can cause additional distress to people at an already challenging time. People should not be subjected to a postcode lottery in this way."
Julie Dunk, Chief Executive, Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management said: "Current legislation and support around funerals, and in particular funeral poverty, is not working. Many councils are seeing year on year increases in the number of council funerals they are carrying out. Many of these are where families are unable to afford to make their own arrangements and are not receiving adequate, or any, support from the Government. We urge the new Government to put better and more compassionate systems in place to ensure that nobody in the UK is left without an appropriate funeral."
Lucy Harmer, Chief Executive Officer, Cruse Bereavement Support, said: ‘One of the things that the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us, is that when we mourn, we need to do so in a manner that we choose. Otherwise, our mental health and physical wellbeing are impacted. Much of this distress can be avoided by being provided with the proper information and compassionate conversations.’
Vivienne Jackson, Programme Manager, abrdn Financial Fairness Trust said: “Some councils are making the process unnecessarily tough for those who need a council funeral due to very low incomes or other reasons. It’s encouraging to see a number already changing their practices after Quaker Social Action brought the issue to their attention; hopefully more will follow their lead.”
The full list of recommendations can be read in the report.