Fears over funeral poverty after hike
A campaigning group for older people has voiced disappointment that Highland Council is pushing ahead with plans to increase funeral costs.
From April, the cost of burying someone will soar from £638 to £970 while the price of a cremation will increase from £638 to £849 – pushing it from one of the lowest cost areas in Scotland to among the highest.
It comes amid a package of measures agreed by the council to plug a £50 million financial hole.
But Ian McNamara, chairman of the Highland Senior Citizens Network (HSCN), warned there was likely to be more funeral poverty across the region.
"It is a great pity the council has not taken note of the escalating costs of funerals. It will put Highland Council almost at the top of local authority areas for burials," he said.
"It is not just older people who will be impacted. Sadly, younger people die and often they are the ones who have made least provision for the final eventuality."
Mr McNamara, a retired GP, recalled from his working days that funeral costs were a concern among elderly patients.
Mr McNamara also drew attention to a 79-page review published by Citizens Advice Scotland for the Scottish Government about increasing funeral poverty. The report highlights the limited financial help available from the state towards funeral costs, including the capping of the amount available since 2003.
It concludes that over the past 12 years funeral poverty has developed with a widening gap between the rising costs of funerals on the one side and the decreasing real-terms value of the Social Fund Funeral Payment on the other.
The report also states: "In recent years, the effects of welfare reform and frozen wages on people’s personal resources have served to widen the gap yet further."
Mr McNamara was disappointed that councillors had not considered the report’s findings.
"Funeral costs get people when they are at their most vulnerable," he said.
"Often people don’t question the costs. They don’t want to scrimp and save on funeral costs for their loved ones."
David McGrath, chairman of Smithton and Culloden Community Council, also believed funeral poverty was set to become more of a problem. He also queried whether councillors should consider cutting their own salaries before increasing burial and cremation costs.
"It is unbelievable," he said.
"Bereaved people are an easy target. It is appalling. They are persecuting the poorest in society and they are not respecting the deceased."
