Council scraps child burial fee for residents of borough

THE fees parents have to pay to bury dead children and still-born babies have been scrapped in Gedling.

It costs £1,502 for bereaved parents to bury a child in Gedling if they live outside the borough.

The charge drops to £586 for Gedling residents but the borough council agreed yesterday to abolish this.

Outsiders will still have to pay the full charge.

Under-18 burial fees have already been scrapped throughout Scotland and Wales but different parts of England can charge separate fees.

The council says it expects to lose about £7,000 a year income as a result of the move.

A report to councillors said: “Losing a child is an extremely difficult time for parents and guardians and the council would like to reduce their burden of a sudden and unexpected cost when they are going through such tragic and devastating grief.”

The council’s deputy leader, Councillor Michael Payne, pictured, who represents the Redhill ward for Labour, said: “For me, this is an absolutely outstanding example of the fact that, in spite of the challenges councils face across the country, councils still have a role to play in making sure that we have compassionate communities.

“Losing any life is utterly tragic but losing someone at that age is beyond belief and, at the darkest moments people go through, we should make sure we’re standing alongside them.

“I think this is a superb example of the council genuinely living what it says it stands for, which is ‘serving people, improving lives’.”