Burial and cremation fee price rise anger as 'even the dead paying for Birmingham Council crisis'

Birmingham City Council’s plans to increase some fees within its bereavement services have sparked claims that residents are paying for its financial crisis ‘even in death’. The cash-strapped council sought approval for changes to cremation and grave reservation charges at a cabinet meeting earlier this month.

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

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

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The changes have attracted criticism online with one reader writing: “So even in death the hard-working citizens of this wonderful city are paying for their incompetence.” “Pay up for their mistake even on passing on,” a second wrote.

One person described it as “a cost-of-living rise for the cost of dying” on Facebook. “It’s becoming too expensive to die under Brum Labour,” another added on X, formerly Twitter.

At the meeting this month, cabinet member Nicky Brennan said the changes were “essential” to ensure bereavement services could continue to be delivered to the highest standard and to support residents during an “incredibly difficult period”.

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

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“These are tough but necessary decisions to mitigate against in-year financial pressures within the bereavement service". Coun Brennan said it was "right that we deliver [bereavement services] properly and sensitively". “But they also need to be financially viable," she said.

She said a range of time slots and fees would be on offer, claiming residents would therefore have “more options”. The changes mean the cremation fee for a 9.15am service will be reduced to £750.

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

The fee for services from 10am to 12.15pm will remain at the current fee of £895. Birmingham’s current standard adult cremation fee was low compared to neighbouring authorities, councillors were told.

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 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’.

“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". The city council has faced a perfect storm consisting of 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.

In the past, council leader John Cotton has pointed the finger at “14 years of neglect from the previous Tory government" while Conservative politicians have been keen to highlight the mistakes made by the council's Labour administration.