Child burial fees scrapped

CREMATION and burial fees for children are to be scrapped in Rochdale.

Council leader Richard Farnell has asked officers to abolish the charges in an act of ‘care and compassion’ towards grieving families.

Currently, the council only waives charges for infants under the age of one.

Now, Coun Farnell has asked that all charges for burials, currently £216, and cremation fees (£105) for children up to the age of 18 be waived in the future.

He said: “I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like for a parent to lose a child.

“The impact on families is devastating.

“They need as much support as possible at this shattering time and shouldn’t have to worry about the costs of burial or cremation.

“That is why we are doing the right thing for parents and showing some of care and compassion by scrapping these fees.”

Coun Farnell has also called on the government to end the misery of heartbroken relatives having to fill out a lengthy 35-page social fund application form to get even the basic help with other funeral costs.

The council’s decision to scrap the fees follows a failed bid by the Labour Party in Parliament last month for the government to set aside funds to allow all councils to end children’s cremation and burial charges.

Coun Farnell added: “To have to be worrying about money at a time like this is painful.

“The government has refused to help, so Rochdale council is stepping in to find the resources from our own funds.”