ITN highlight rise in “Paupers” Funerals
ITN highlighted the rise of funerals undertaken by Local Authorities and the difference in services provided by Authorities on their main news bulletins on Friday 15th June.
Watch the report and read more about it on the ITV news website.
Network Meeting - East Anglia - 05/06/18
Brief notes from the meeting:
20180605 - East Anglia Network Meeting
Death in Data
A recent article on the BBC website highlighted an expected spike in deaths over the next few years, thus adding to pressure already placed on Local Authorities carrying out Public Health Act funerals.
As life expectancies rise the amount of deaths naturally falls but those people will inevitably pass away at some stage leading to the expected increase.
With the recent Royal London report highlighting the rise in provision of Public Health Act Funerals by Local Authorities it seems that there may be a perfect storm brewing from Councils already suffering from dramatic budget cuts over the past few years.
The BBC article stems from research and a campaign to raise awareness by the Dying Matters Campaign. The article states that "Talking about dying makes it more likely that you, or your loved one, will die as you might have wished. And it will make it easier for your loved ones if they know you have had a 'good death'."
You can read the full article on the BBC website here.
Finding relatives
A recent post to the Funeral Service times has highlighted how Finder International undertakes work to try and ensure that a deceased person has their relatives attend their funeral.
The article can be read on the Funeral Service Times website:
Funeral prices and plans to be reviewed
UK funeral prices to be probed
The BBC is reporting that there are to be two separate reviews carried out by the government into the price of funerals and concerns over pre-paid funeral plans.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is reviewing funeral costs, "to ensure that people are not getting a bad deal". The investigation will focus on funeral prices to ensure that the public are getting a fair deal. The article goes on to state that the average cost of a funeral in 2017 was £3,800.
Meanwhile the Treasury has started a review of pre paid funeral plans following complaints from consumer groups that people are finding they have to pay additional costs not covered in a plan that were originally thought to be included. The outcome could be tougher regulation.
The full article can be read here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44327899
Finders International have their Finders International Funeral Fund to support Local Authorities with the responsibility of carrying out pre-paid funerals. Payments from the fund can be applied for by a Local Authority who has had to arrange and pay for the funeral of a resident with no known next of kin or any assets. The fund isn't open to the general public, but Finders have had an increase in enquiries from the public for support to pay for Funerals.
Help and advice is available from Quaker Social Action, who have been campaigning relentlessly to highlight the growing problem of funeral poverty.
More details on QSA can be found on their website:
https://www.quakersocialaction.org.uk/we-can-help/helping-funerals/down-earth