It’s time to put funeral poverty on the agenda

The death of a loved one is one of the greatest challenges we experience, and one that few of us can truly prepare for. It can take many years to overcome the grief of losing someone we are close to. But while that emotional strain is an unavoidable part of bereavement, increasingly families are now facing financial hardship as well.

Over the past ten years the cost of a basic funeral – funeral director’s costs, doctor’s fees, minister’s fees and burial/cremation fees – has risen from an average of £1,920 to £3,551. In some parts of the country where burial land is scarce the price rises well above £6,000. When rising everyday living costs are squeezing household incomes more and more each month, people aren’t able to set aside money or plan for the worst. One out of five families responding to a recent survey by Royal London said the deceased had left no financial provision for planning their funeral.

Government support via the Social Fund’s Funeral Payments is inadequate. The average payout is just over £1,000, falling well short of the amount needed for even a basic funeral. Worse still, families don’t find out whether they are eligible for support for nearly three weeks, by which time they have already committed to funeral costs. Last year over 30,000 applicants were rejected for a Funeral Payment, leaving them with unaffordable bills and facing debt. I have heard stories of people ashamed that they have to visit their funeral director week after week to pay off funeral debt. Others borrow money from family, sell personal belongings, or turn to pay day lenders to help cover their costs.

In 21^st Century Britain people talk openly of debt, food poverty and fuel poverty but the taboo surrounding funeral poverty remains. This problem is growing, and far more widespread than we realise. People feel a powerful duty to give their loved ones a fitting tribute, and don’t feel able to ask for help or talk about the struggle of paying for a service. But the problem is there: research published earlier this month by Royal London shows that over 100,000 adults in the UK are living with funeral debt, with the average amount owed being £1,305, amounting to £142 million nationally. One in five families do not have the money to give their loved ones the funeral they deserve.

Although this is an uncomfortable topic, it is not one we can ignore any longer. Funerals don’t make for inspiring rhetoric, and they don’t win many voters over on polling day. But with costs rising and more families getting into debt each year, with more pressure on burial space driving up prices and a safety net that isn’t fit for purpose, we need to start a serious discussion about how to reform the system so that people can afford to pay a fitting tribute to those they love. It’s time to put funeral poverty on the agenda.