Families in debt over funeral costs

Poorer families in Dundee have accumulated debts of more than £500,000 paying for funerals, a report shows.

The study, commissioned by Dundee City Council and the Scottish Government, looked into the effectiveness of a project set up in the city to help those struggling with funeral costs.

Funeral Link offers one-toone services to help next of kin plan and pay for funerals, negotiate with funeral directors, and also to encourage people to plan ahead to make it easier for their relatives.

According to the report, based on work carried out by the University of Dundee, anecdotal evidence shows some people have gone without essentials in order to pay for funerals, on which people will still spend a significant amount of money regardless of their income level.

Quoted in the report is a 2018 survey by insurance company Royal London, which found there were 307 people in the city struggling to pay funeral costs – 12 per cent of the overall number of funerals held.

It’s estimated that at least £535,931 is owed in funeral costs across the city but the figure could be much higher.