Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Difference in Burial Costs in England

London is one of the most expensive places in England for a person to be buried, a study has revealed.

According to research by Avalon Funeral Plans, the cost of burying someone varies by more than £1,000 across the country.

Lewisham, in south London, is the third most costly area where it costs £1,082, followed by the City of London at £992 and Rushmoor in Hampshire at £968.

But Lichfield in Staffordshire is the most expensive place for an interment at £1,270, more than 25 times the £50 charged for a burial in Blaby, Leicestershire.

Elmbridge in Surrey is the second most expensive place in which to bury a loved one in a council-run cemetery at £1,138.

At the other end of the scale, it costs just £93 for an internment in Wyre, Lancashire, while burying someone costs £100 in South Bucks, £115 in Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire and £129 in Hambleton in North Yorkshire.

A Lewisham Council spokesman said: "These figures are not comparable. Some relate only to digging fees whilst others are based on differing lease periods for burial space."

The group said that with burial space running out, and councils looking to raise revenue, the cost of burying a loved one had increased. It added that, as well as paying for the internment, families also had to purchase the rights for a burial plot, further increasing the cost.

Mike Cooper, managing director at Avalon, said: "The top 10 list of internment fees is, unsurprisingly, dominated by boroughs in the South East and London. It just shows how a lack of space has squeezed fees to a premium." He said 72% of the 600,000 people who died in the UK each year were cremated, with only 28% buried.

He said: "As space dwindles and fees grow, the number of burials is expected to decrease rapidly. It seems that dying has become a very expensive business. Whilst the traditional funeral is still part of our cultural fabric, burials are now out of reach for many of the population. It's no surprise that cremation is by far the most popular choice for funerals."

SOURCE

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