Funerals
Public health funerals
Under Section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 we have a legal duty to make funeral arrangements for those who die with the borough without anybody willing or able to make arrangements.
If this is the case we will:
- contact a local funeral director to make arrangements.
- usually arrange a cremation (unless the deceased had a preference for a burial)
- provide simple, yet respectful arrangements
- we will look to recover expenses from the deceased's estate.
Please note:
- we do not authorise memorials on Public Health graves
- plots are owned by the Council and up to three coffins can go in each plot
- any remaining funds from the deceased's estate (after funeral costs) are passed to the Treasury Solicitors office.
List of recent public health funerals
The Public Burials document provides a list of recent cases.