Northern Ireland to Review Pauper Funeral Policy
The Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in Northern Ireland is reviewing its policy on public health burials, formerly known as pauper funerals. The review comes after a rise in the costs of burials and demand for the service. In 2022, the council delivered four public health burials, at a cost of £850 each. The council does not recover the costs of these burials, and the report stated that "no costs have been recovered to date." The review will look at how to ensure the dignity of the deceased…
Scotland’s Cost-of-Dying Crisis Reveals Financial Struggles Surrounding Funerals
The rising cost of funerals in Scotland has created a significant burden for numerous families, amplifying the challenges of the existing cost-of-living crisis. The situation is further exacerbated by unethical practices such as unnecessary upselling by some unscrupulous funeral directors, leaving grieving families in dire financial circumstances. The Soaring Costs According to a report by SunLife, the average cost of a funeral in the UK has surged by a staggering 115% over the past 18 years.…
Finder’s pledge to offset the Carbon Footprint for each webinar in 2023
The research and data collected into the carbon footprint of our daily online activities and uses of streaming services is significantly lower to that of other carbon emitters. We however, do not regard our online uses as totally environmentally friendly and are looking to change this for 2023. On behalf of Public Health Funerals Information Service (PHFIS), Finders International pledge to offset the estimated carbon emissions for each webinar we host within 2023. To achieve this goal, it…
Pauper funeral numbers double
A recent report by the New Statesman revealed that the number of so-called pauper’s funerals have doubled since 2019. Katherine Swindells reports that the cost of living crisis effects are now being felt “beyond life itself” with more people dying without the means to pay for a funeral. In some of the poorest parts of the UK, people needing a public health funeral has doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels. The public health funeral - sometimes daubed a pauper’s funeral - is paid for by local…
Long delays between deaths and funerals
UK funeral directors are warning of long delays between deaths and funerals, thanks to pressure on the system, an article in the Daily Telegraph set out. Speaking to reporter Antonia Hoyle, Jackie Sewell related how she had faced a month-long wait to get the death certificate she needed in order for the funeral to go ahead. Her father, Kenneth, died at 93 of dementia in Hampshire. Without the death certificate, the funeral home could not embalm his body, which as to go into cold storage. Jackie…
Free conferences for public sector workers
Finders International has a number of conferences coming up aimed at those who work in the public sector – a mix of hybrid and online events for maximum flexibility. The first event takes place on 8 September at London’s Park Plaza Hotel – the Public Health Funerals Information Service (PHFIS), which takes the form of a hybrid event. The day will welcome delegates from all fields who have an interest in or who provide or who have experienced a funeral provided under statutory by a public…
Conservative MP warns against ‘watered down’ funeral plan industry regulation
The funeral industry must not prey on fear, Conservative MP Lucy Allan told MPs during a recent parliamentary speech. The Yorkshire Post published an excerpt of the speech by the MP who represents Telford in Shropshire and who sits on the Health and Social Care Committee. Ms Allan drew attention to predatory practices by certain elements of the funeral plan industry, who often target older people who might be worried about the costs of funerals. She told parliament that the funeral plan…
Newspaper investigation reveals rise in public health funerals
The Mirror newspaper has revealed massive rises in the number of people requiring a public health funeral in 2020, often referred to as a pauper’s funeral. A public health funeral is a basic, no-frills service that is paid for by the local authority in cases where someone dies in poverty and their next of kin cannot be found or don’t come forward. The paper’s Freedom of Information investigation compare data from 362 out of 371 councils in Britain and found there were 5,875 public health…
Investigation conducted into Local’s Authorities approach to ‘Pauper’s Funerals’
The Guardian has reported that Councils in England and Wales are waiving their responsibility to provide Public Health act funerals, more commonly known as “pauper’s funerals.” Quaker Social Action, an anti- poverty charity, stated that families of a low income, are often being turned away because they are not able to afford to pay for the burial or cremation of their loved ones. Senior Business Manager at Finders International and spokesperson for the Public Health Funeral Information Service,…
The year of COVID-19 – and resilience at its finest
2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for us all and, as it can be assumed that no one has been left untouched by the virus in some way or another, it would be understandable if you were to describe it negatively. However, the single word I would use to describe this year would be ‘resilient’. The definition, according to the Oxford English Dictionary is ‘[they] showed great courage and resilience in fighting back from a losing position to win the game’. While in no way do I imply 2020…