A Burning Local Issue in Wandsworth

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Cost of dying second highest in the country say union

Wandsworth Council have been accused of having the second highest charges for cremation in a report by the GMB Union.

The union says that at £2,350 Wandsworth charges more than any other local authority in the country apart from the City of London. They accused Councils with high charges of 'making a killing' out of bereavement.

The Council dispute the figures saying the union has chosen the most expensive options to create a distorted picture. They say a simple cremation plus scattering of ashes in the garden of remembrance costs only £550.

A Council spokesperson told us, "The council offers a range of burial services at varying costs, including the option to purchase a family sized plot, which can be kept for the sole use of four members of that family for 40 years. This is the most expensive option, but lower cost choices are also available. "

The extra cost comes if you want an urn buried in a private grave and kept there with no other burials alongside it for 40 years.

The report also claims Wandsworth has unusually high charges for burial ranking it third in the country behind City of London and Lambeth with a cost of £4,190.

On burial costs the Council say that the £4,000 plus charge quoted by GMB is for purchasing a family sized plot of land which can fit four adult graves. This option allows the family to retain the exclusive use of that plot of land for 40 years and also includes the finial purchase of the land plus an interment fee. The three subsequent burials cost only the interment fee which is about £1,500.     

List of the 20 councils with the highest cremation charges, including cremation, interment of ashes and Exclusive Burial Rights (EBR) (Source: GMB Union)

Rank	Council	Cremation cost
1	City of London (a)	£3,464
2	Wandsworth, London (a)(b)	£2,350
3	Croydon, London	£2,265
4	Lambeth, London	£2,132
5	Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire	£2,045
6	Manchester (c)	£2,012
7	Rushmoor, Hampshire	£1,984
8	Walsall, West Midlands	£1,892
9	Sutton, London (a)	£1,865
10	Sandwell, West Midlands	£1,837
11	Bexley, London (d)	£1,836
12	Wolverhampton, West Midlands	£1,811
13	Barnet, London	£1,798
14	Merton, London (a)	£1,786
15	Ipswich, Suffolk	£1,743
16	Bristol, City of	£1,675
17	Coventry, West Midlands	£1,661
18	Sefton, Merseyside	£1,655
19	Spelthorne, Surrey (e)	£1,648
20	Kingston upon Thames, Surrey (f)	£1,635

Notes

(a) Includes a 30-minute service. Grave cost includes first interment fee and a 60-year lease.
(b) Cremated remains purchase includes first burial.

(c) Manchester: Graveyard fee includes first burial.

(d) Eltham Crematorium is governed by a joint committee from Bexley, Greenwich and Dartford councils; the main administration is run by Greenwich Council.

(e) South West Middlesex Crematorium: Boroughs of Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Richmond upon Thames and Spelthorne.

(f) EBR fee includes first interment.

The UK's highest burial charges

Rank	Council	Burial cost
1	Lambeth, London	£5,329
2	City of London	£5,185
3	Wandsworth, London	£4,190
4	Merton, London	£4,125
5	Croydon, London	£4,106
6	Enfield, London	£3,665
7	Bromley, London	£3,647
8	Kensington and Chelsea	£3,600
9	Bexley, London	£3,256
10	Richmond upon Thames, London	£3,190
11	Barking and Dagenham, London	£3,170
12	Spelthorne, Surrey	£2,992
13	Southwark, London	£2,984
14	Havering, London	£2,955
15	Hammersmith and Fulham, London	£2,940
16	edi, Hampshire	£2,837
17	Southend-on-Sea, Essex	£2,730
18	Barnet, London	£2,692
19	Brent, London	£2,675
20	Exeter, Devon	£2,650

 

June 14, 2013