Charges for funeral delays axed

Late-running funerals cause distress for families, the council says

A West Yorkshire council has hurriedly scrapped plans to charge people for turning up late to funerals.

Kirklees Council told funeral directors earlier this week it wanted to impose a £100 charge for every 15 minutes crematorium staff were kept waiting.

But in a swift U-turn, the council said on Friday the idea had been "shelved to allow fuller consultation".

The decision followed an angry reaction from local funeral directors who condemned the charges as "unworkable".

Avoid distress

A council spokesman said: "Funerals running late can cause problems where other funerals are scheduled to follow.

"It is important to try and ensure that funerals do run to time to avoid possible distress and inconvenience to all concerned.

"But we have decided to have more consultation with the funeral directors through our joint bereavement services partnership to find another solution without having to implement additional charges."

The two sides are due to discuss the issue at a scheduled meeting of the partnership next month.

Huddersfield funeral director Richard Box, current owner of the long-established family firm Eric F Box, said: "These proposals were never properly thought out.

Who's to blame?

"There are many reasons that we could end up being late for a service through no fault of our own.

"The minister at the church service could go on longer than expected. In that case is he going to be charged?

"If a relative gets stuck in a traffic jam and we have to wait are they going to be charged?

"If it's not the funeral director's fault then he shouldn't have to pay."

The proposed charges were included in a batch of increased funeral charges which come into effect next month across the council area, which includes the towns of Huddersfield and Dewsbury.

Basic burial costs are to go up by 7% from £420 to £450 and cremation costs will rise 9% from £320 to £350.