Should There Be An Independent Investigation Into Council Cemetery Fees?

HUMBUG

I've been looking at the cemetery fees for local councils around London Borough Of Hillingdon , Harrow , etc and the interment costs seem huge, especially for non-residents (but also very expensive for residents).

For example , I bought a double plot (ie. its really an exclusive right of burial for 100 year lease)  4 years ago when my mother died . That cost was £3290 and I mistakenly assumed that the re-opening of the grave and digging to a depth of 4.5 ft  (ie. the depth of 1) would not be very expensive. 

Recently , my father died and when I got the invoice from the funeral directors , the Hillingdon Council 'Interment' charge was £2253  (Vat Exempt).

When I searched some more for other councils outside London area , they were sometimes cheaper but still relatively  expensive for the digging of a hole in the ground. 

I cannot understand how these charges can be justified and wondering whether there should be an independent investigation. 

elsien

At the starting point would be to ask your local councillor to identify how those charges are made up? Or make a freedom of information request asking the same thing.
I’m not sure you can say they are disproportionate without knowing how the figures been arrived at in the first place, given that there may be relevant factors that you haven’t considered.

HampshireH

Sorry for your loss.

Those fees will go towards the reopening of the private grave and also to the upkeep of the site, salaries, maintenance, utilities and a whole host of things.
It's not just a cost for digging and filling a hole in the ground.

Their fees are transparent and available online. If your invoice doesn't marry up to their published feed you could raise this as an issue.

HUMBUG

HampshireH said:

Sorry for your loss.

Those fees will go towards the reopening of the private grave and also to the upkeep of the site, salaries, maintenance, utilities and a whole host of things.
It's not just a cost for digging and filling a hole in the ground.

Their fees are transparent and available online. If your invoice doesn't marry up to their published feed you could raise this as an issue.

I've sent an email to the council leader requesting a justification of the costs. But as you say, it could be to fund a host of things long term.

Nearlyold

Is the cemetery well kept? eg grass mown, paths clear, rubbish removed, seating/ walls/fencing/hedging/trees in good order? Even if not immaculate- maintenance has a cost.

Linton

Simple cost of land and local demand would or should be major factors. If there are more bodies than space to put them how else do you allocate it? Have a group of councillors deciding who is most worthy?

in_my_wellies

My mother wanted her ashes placed in the family plot. The cost was £252 but as she died outside the area it was doubled to £504. I explained she had lived in the borough all her life, worked until she was 70 and paid council tax until she was 86 when she moved to live with me because of Alzheimer's. The sympathetic woman I spoke to said even if she had only move a week before the cost is double if living outside the borough. All the prices are on the web-site, all are double for living outside the borough.
This seems unfair as in the case of ashes there was no extra cost involved as I transported them myself. But it all transparent on the web-site

SevenOfNine

in_my_wellies said:

My mother wanted her ashes placed in the family plot. The cost was £252 but as she died outside the area it was doubled to £504. I explained she had lived in the borough all her life, worked until she was 70 and paid council tax until she was 86 when she moved to live with me because of Alzheimer's. The sympathetic woman I spoke to said even if she had only move a week before the cost is double if living outside the borough. All the prices are on the web-site, all are double for living outside the borough.
This seems unfair as in the case of ashes there was no extra cost involved as I transported them myself. But it all transparent on the web-site

We didn't pay anything when burying the ashes of my aunt who lived & died in London. My other aunt was already interred locally to our family many, many years ago (she'd also lived in London), my parents had paid double for her to be interred where we all live, which isn't in London!

So I scattered some of aunt 2's ashes in a place she'd loved, & put the rest in with aunt 1.  We just took aunt 1's stone up, put aunt 2's ashes in (inside a pretty container), ordered a new stone to reflect both aunts ashes now buried there & put it on ourselves.

Didn't ask anyone, didn't pay anyone (except the undertaker for the funeral & the crematorium). Just did it early evening, job done. My parents paid enough for aunt 1's grave, interment & stone installation & the chances of our council noticing our DiY is zero.

Intoodeep

HampshireH said:

Sorry for your loss.

Those fees will go towards the reopening of the private grave and also to the upkeep of the site, salaries, maintenance, utilities and a whole host of things.
It's not just a cost for digging and filling a hole in the ground.

Their fees are transparent and available online. If your invoice doesn't marry up to their published feed you could raise this as an issue.

Exactly, do people think the hole just "appears" free of charge ?