Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Petition to scrap child burial costs
Nine local authorities in Scotland still charge for the burial of under-16s, with Dundee the most expensive.
Scottish Conservative MSP Bill Bowman has launched a petition urging Holyrood to follow Westminster’s announcement, with the Welsh Executive already having stopped the charges in March last year.
Mr Bowman, who is an MSP for the North East region and based in Dundee, said: “In the UK Parliament there was broad support across parties for a fund to cover burial costs, as announced by the prime minister.
“Most Scottish councils have already decided that it is unethical to ask families to pay for the burial of a young person. It is in the gift of the SNP government to allow these last nine authorities to come into line. “I would ask the citizens of Dundee to show their support for a Scottish fund in this petition, or by sending me an email.”
The burial of a child between the ages of two and 11 can cost up to £408 in the city, with the cost rising to £827 for children over the age of 12.
In comparison, the lowest fees are charged by Inverclyde Council, which asks for £36.30 to bury anyone under 16.
In Perth and Kinross, the cost for a child between the ages of two and 15 can be up to £144, rising to £918 for people 16 and over. In Angus, it’s free for under14s and then rises to £648.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ““We know funeral costs can push people into poverty and often it is those already in financial hardship who face increased difficulties.
“That is why we are taking decisive action to tackle this growing issue, as set out in our Funeral Costs Plan — and we will introduce a new funeral expense assistance from summer 2019.
“We have engaged with local authorities, the funeral sector and other services to find ways to provide more affordable funerals and we will continue to support innovative measures to address the costs of funerals. We note this announcement from the UK Government and are already actively considering ways to further support families in Scotland suffering the bereavement of a child.”
A CALL has been made by a local MSP for the Scottish Government to scrap child funeral charges, after Prime Minister Theresa May said the practice would end in England.