FOI request (FOI-72826670)

Public Health Funerals

Requested Fri 13 April 2018
Responded Mon 11 June 2018

1) Please tell me the average cost for a public health burial funeral in the financial years of:

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

2) Please tell me the average cost for a public health cremation funeral in the financial years of:

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

3) Please tell me how many public health funerals the council has provided in the financial years of:

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

4) Please tell me the total cost of public health funerals the council spent in the financial years of:

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

5) Please tell me how many people you have denied public health funerals and on what grounds in the financial years of:

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

6) For this financial year only, please outline your policy on how many family members you allow to attend.

7) Please tell me what you ask people seeking a public health funeral to do before agreeing to undertake it.

8) Please outline your position on returning ashes of the deceased to family members after a public health cremation has taken place.

9) Please detail how you make the availability of a public health funeral known to residents - is there a self-referral model or do people have to be referred to the council by a coroner?

Response

Q1 -

2015/2016 - £1205

2016/2017 - £1245

2017/2018 - £1291

Q2 -

2015/2016 - £1369

2016/2017 - £1389

2017/2018 - £1435

Q3 -

2015/2016 - 17

2016/2017 - 30

2017/2018 - 30

Q4 -

2015/2016 - £24,491.40

2016/2017 - £40,931.08

2017/2018 - £40,105.00

Please note - these figures do not include from the estate.

Q5 - Hastings Borough Council (HBC) would not deny anyone, it is a legal function of the authority.

Q6 - HBC does not impose any restrictions. Please see link below to our website:

https://www.hastings.gov.uk/cemetery-crematorium/burial-cremation/welfare-funerals/

Q7 - Please see link below to our website:

https://www.hastings.gov.uk/cemetery-crematorium/burial-cremation/welfare-funerals/

Q8 - If there are family we normally ask the person requesting us to carry out the arrangements to write a letter requesting the remains and what they are intending to do with them. This we keep with the deceased information folder, we then release them.

Q9 -

The information is on our website and all the local funeral directors are aware as are the housing associations and Hospice. So we have a mixture of self-referral and referral by the coroner.

https://www.hastings.gov.uk/cemetery-crematorium/