Tempers flare as rise in bereavement fees agreed
OPPOSITION councillors claimed grieving relatives have been left footing the bill for the Empty Homes debacle.
Tempers flared in the council chamber as Rossendale councillors debated a proposal to hike bereavement charges.
Conservative members voted against the rise, but the proposal was supported by Labour and Community First members and passed by a majority.
The price of a burial plot will now rise more than 70 per cent from £577.80 to £1,002, burials will rise from £490 to £808, and an ashes interment increases from £85.10 to £190.
Acting opposition leader Annabel Shipley told the meeting there was ‘no way’ her group could support the policy.
She said: “There is no justification for hitting families in the pocket at a time of deep distress and sadness.
“No justification when the Empty Homes scandal has cost this council over £4million. There is no justification for increasing bereavement charges when it is simply down to the financial incompetence of a Labour-run council with the tax payer, as always, footing the bill.”
Council leader Alyson Barnes replied that they did not want to increase charges, but government cuts to local authority funding had forced their hand.
She said: “The difficulty is it is becoming increasingly hard to balance the books given the fact that we have almost lost our entire allocation of revenue support grant.
“Total it all up and we’ve lost £24million since 2010. That is why we are having to ensure all our services as far as possibly pay for themselves.”
Coun Peter Steen responded: “The £4 million that has been thrown away of council taxpayers money by the fiasco of the Empty Homes scheme would have helped to balance this council’s budget.”
Coun Jackie Oakes, cabinet member for operations, said: “It’s difficult when the increase is indisputably high, but even with the proposed increase we still are on a par, and in many cases cheaper than other councils. It’s part of the austerity measures, unfortunately. All the activities of the council are being examined in detail to make sure that our actual costs are being covered and in respect of bereavement charges they certainly weren’t.
“It’s particularly of concern that we will need to invest in our cemeteries in the very near future and we have to have money available to do that.”