Grave costs rise again

9:31am Friday 20th June 2008

GRIEVING families will be hit in the pocket by inflation-busting increases in the cost of burials and cremations.

Bolton Council has decided to increase prices by almost 10 per cent as it bids to raise cash to pay for an extension of Heaton Cemetery.

It is the second price hike this year and comes as the cost of fuel, food and energy rirses at unprecendented rates.

A cremation has increased in price from £375 to £410, while the cost of a burial has gone up from £576 to £626.

Bolton Council's executive member for environmental services, Cllr Nick Peel, defended the increases, saying the extra money would be ringfenced for the Heaton cemetery extension and other funeral services.

He added: "Cremation and burial fees are still quite competative and in line with our private sector competitors.

"The additional income will be ringfenced to go towards the extension so it is being put to good use.

"The cemetery has to be expanded because we will run out of room in the next decade.

"It's never going to be popular putting any charges up but there is a specific reason for this and the money will be reinvested."

The council says the increased price of a cremation is down, in part, to the rising cost of gas and electricity used to run the cremator.

In deciding to increase the cost of burials, the council considered the increasing shortage of plots and the fact their charges were less than the regional average.

But the price hikes were criticised last night by Laura Howarth, of Howarths Funeral Services in Astley Bridge.

She said the increases - due to take effect on July 1 - were too much and came too soon after previous hikes in April.

Mrs Howarth added: "We got a letter from the registrar of cremations and burials saying they had decided to implement further rises due to inflation, increased running costs, increased medicial reference fees and an environmental surcharge.

"It's going to be a huge increase for people and will hit them at a time when they are bereaved.

"They only put them up in April and, judging by the maintenance of the grounds, it doesn't look like that money has been spent there."

Ms Howarth said what the council charged for cremations had more than doubled in ten years, from £195 in 1998 to £410 as of July.

She said she feared the rises would put people off using municipal cemeteries in favour of what are now only slightly more expensive private ones.

The council proposals to expand Heaton Cemetery were granted planning permission last year.

It is to be extended by 19 acres - the size of ten football pitches - to create thousands of much-needed new plots.

The cemetery will be extended westwards towards Atkinson's Farm and plans involve two car-parks with 89 spaces being built, new traffic measures being put in place, extensive landscaping and a wildlife corridor' to compensate the loss of green space.

Work will begin later this year when a series of tests wil be completed to assess the suitability of land at the site.