Birmingham council approves ‘tough but necessary’ rises for certain bereavement fees

Crisis-hit Birmingham City Council has said it faces financial pressures within the bereavement service

Birmingham City Council has approved “tough but necessary” proposals to increase certain fees within its bereavement services. The crisis-hit council sought approval for the changes to cremation and grave reservation charges at a cabinet meeting this week.

The fee for cremation services, from 1pm to 3.15pm, is now set to increase from £895 to £950 due to the “popular demand” of these timeslots. A council report, published prior to the meeting, added: “In addition, the service is considering the feasibility of offering a 4pm timeslot which, where provided, will have an applicable fee of £995.”

Meanwhile grave reservation fees, the current fee for reserving a grave where no burial is due to take place, is currently £300, increased by 30 per cent for a non-resident of the city. This particular fee is now set to soar to £450, effective from November 1 2024.

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Cabinet member Nicky Brennan said the changes were “essential” to ensure bereavement services can continue to be delivered to the highest possible standard and to support residents during an “incredibly difficult period”.

“We recognise that increases to fees and charges in this area is not an easy decision to make,” she told the cabinet meeting. “However, we must deliver a financially viable service that meets citizens’ needs and protects the future of service delivery.

“These are tough but necessary decisions to mitigate against in-year financial pressures within the bereavement service". Coun Brennan also pointed out that a range of time slots and fees would now be on offer and claimed residents would therefore have “more options”.

The changes mean that the cremation fee for a 9.15am service will actually be reduced to £750.

“Some cremation service times are more popular than others,” the council report said. “Earlier cremation service times are rarely used, so opting for a lower charge may encourage higher usage.”

The fee for the services from 10am to 12.15 pm is set to remain at the current fee of £895.

”If there is an approved change to the current cremation it is proposed to be introduced from December 1 2024, due to the notice period that needs to be given,” the report continued. It added Birmingham’s current standard adult cremation fee is low compared to neighbouring authorities.

In comparison, the fee is £967 in Sandwell, £955 in Solihull and £940 in Wolverhampton. On grave reservation fees, the report said: “A recent comparison with other burial authorities has demonstrated that some are applying significant additional charges for families to reserve graves where no immediate burial is taking place, in recognition of the additional time and cost to excavate a grave ‘out of sequence’.

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“In addition, the land usage increases where grave reservations are provided, requiring earlier development of additional burial areas at a cost to the city council".

“Bereavement services are really important to the council and it’s right that we deliver them properly and sensitively,” Coun Brennan said. “But they also need to be financially viable.”

The city council passed an unprecedented budget in March after having to confront Birmingham-specific issues, such as an equal pay fiasco and the disastrous implementation of a new IT and finance system, as well as other factors such as the rising demand for services and funding cuts. Council leader John Cotton has previously criticised the “14 years of neglect from the previous Tory government" while Conservative politicians have pointed to the mistakes made by the council's Labour administration.

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