Council defends plan to increase burial fees

The proposal is part of Powys County Council cost cutting, savings and income-generation measures worth more than £770,000 that have been put forward by the authority’s planning, public protection and property department as part of the 2023/2024 draft budget.

The proposals were discussed by members of the council’s economy, residents and communities scrutiny committee on Monday, January 30.

In January the cabinet set its draft budget which includes increasing council tax by five per cent.

The council needs to make cuts and savings as part of the overall drive to find £16.4 million to bridge its funding gap for 2023/2024.

Increasing burial fees could generate an extra £42,810 a year but there are risks that people could choose other cemeteries to bury their loved ones.

The increase could also prove unaffordable to some people – and the cost of public health burials could rebound on the council.

Committee chairman, Councillor Angela Davies, said: “The increase in burial fees is a very emotive subject, and it’s something that is going to affect us all one way or another.”

She pointed out that the council already has the fourth highest charges in Wales.

Councillor Davies added: “If we’re already one of the dearest are we justified in putting it up?

“It just feels like an uncomfortable area to be increasing charges.”

She also asked if any research to compare funeral costs had been done by the department.

Councillor Richard Church, cabinet member for a safer Powys, said: “I can’t answer your question in relation to comparison with spiritual chapel burials.

“I can say that this is the first increase in burial fees we’ve had since 2019.”

He said that the increase was in line with inflation and that the council was aiming to provide a “cost neutral” service.

Councillor Church added that there had no evidence of a loss of burials for the council from price increases in the past.

Due to this he said he believed it was “reasonable” to increase the fee.

“Of course it’s always a risk and you may reach a point where it is a loss,” he added.

Head of planning, property and public protection, Gwilym Davies, said: “There is a potential for residents to go to other locations in Powys or across the border and that is something that we need to monitor closely.”

Powys manages 17 cemeteries all across the county.

The council is also legally tasked with undertaking public health funerals when someone dies in Powys and there are no known relatives or friends able to make the funeral arrangements.

This happened eight times in 2020 and seven times in 2021.