Burial fee hike makes Edinburgh Scotland’s ‘most expensive place to die’

Increasing burial costs have made Edinburgh Scotland’s ‘most expensive place to die,’ with bereaved families expected to shell out more than £2,000 to say goodbye to their loved ones.

Research by Citizens’ Advice Scotland (CAS) revealed grieving relatives in the capital paid out an average of £2,340 in fees in the last year as charges for burials and cremations across the country rose by more than five per cent.

The Cost of Saying Goodbye 2017 report also found fees for those in East Dunbartonshire and Glasgow topped the £2,000 mark, while families in East Renfrewshire saw charges skyrocket by over 49 per cent.

A quarter of Scottish councils - including Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth and Kinross - froze charges for burials last year, but cremation costs increased by three per cent across the country.

The report stated the average burial cost across Scotland was £1,427, while the price of a cremation rose by £25 to £743.

Highland council offered the most expensive cremation service for a local authority at £870, while Inverclyde had the cheapest at £585.

But the report found private crematoriums often charged as much as £999.

CAS consumer spokesperson Ruth Mendel said: “Bereavement is a difficult time for any family, and the financial side of planning and paying for a funeral or cremation can of course compound the emotional difficulties, particularly for those who are on lower incomes or where the bereavement is unexpected.”

She added: “While we understand the financial pressures that Local Authorities face, we urge them to consider the impact that high burial charges can have on people at what can be one of the most difficult times in their lives.”

Additional expenses such as venue hire, flowers or funeral director fees - which could add thousands more to the final funeral bill - were not included in the report.

Research by Royal London earlier this year found the average cost of a funeral in Scotland now stands at £3,598.