A busy return to Parliament
Thirteen public health funerals held last year
The past two weeks in the House of Commons have been extremely busy and I was intent on representing our constituency interest from day one.
During the election, I pledged to continue my campaign to save our HMRC from Tory closure and I was pleased therefore to take the opportunity to raise this important issue on the floor of the house immediately last week with the Minister.
Boris Johnson pledged to support an agenda for towns to ensure they are‘never again left behind’.
Closing East Kilbride’s HMRC and transferring thousands of jobs to Glasgow flies in the face of this agenda.
It is important that the Government reverse these ill-founded plans and that Boris Johnson walks the walk instead of just talking the talk on towns and particularly our town.
There has been much consternation regarding the possible merger of EK’s Department for International Development into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
It was important therefore that I spoke last week in the Westminster debate on Overseas Development Aid tabled by my colleague Patrick Grady MP.
I asked the Minister directly for reassurance that these potential plans would not impact upon the work of EKs DFID and to reassure our local staff about the security of their jobs.
He failed to do so in his reply although I have since been copied as MP to correspondence that suggests the UK Government will not be progressing these plans at this time.
I have continued to follow it up and have since written directly for reassurances to the Prime Minister.
On Wednesday night I presented our constituency petition on Safe Walking Routes to
School for Children in Strathaven at Wester Overton Primary School signed by so many local residents. Our petition will now be highlighted to the UK Government Minister and sent to South Lanarkshire Council.
I will await response and will continue to push this issue via our local Strathaven Councillors and Community Council.
I was pleased this week within our constituency to visit St Louise’s Primary School in East Kilbride to discuss my work as an MP and to hear about their innovative Film Club.
I have submitted an Early Day Motion to parliament to champion their achievement and will present this to pupils and teachers in the near future.
My constituency surgeries continue to be extremely busy primarily with cases on Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments and my staff are liaising directly with DWP to try to resolve these issues.
As chairwoman of the ‘disability all party parliamentary group’ it is of particular concern to me that the most vulnerable including those with severe disabilities and mental health issues have been affected.
If these issues affect you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email on lisa. cameron.mp@ parliament.uk or to visit my weekly surgery Fridays in Avondale at 1pm at my Strathaven Waterside Street office and in East Kilbride’s Civic Centre every Friday from 3.30pm.
STEPHEN BARK
Almost £6000 was spent on public health funerals by South Lanarkshire Council last year.
Figures released this month revealed there were 13 public health funerals in the region in 2018/19.
In total, the council spent just £5850 on funerals for residents whose family were unable or unwilling to arrange and pay for a funeral, or for deceased who had no traceable family.
The average cost of a public health funeral in South Lanarkshire was £450, compared to a UK average of £1507.
South Lanarkshire’s head of facilities, waste and grounds services, Alistair McKinnon, said the council had a duty to ensure the most vulnerable in society were given a funeral.
He said: “We have a statutory obligation to provide a funeral for any person who dies within their geographical boundary if there are no funds to pay for a funeral.
“When we are contacted by anyone to advise that a family member has no funds to cover the cost of a funeral, we signpost them to the new ‘funeral expenses payment’ which is a one off payment to help people on low income benefits with a contribution towards the cost of a funeral.”
The new scheme replaces the Department for Work and Pension’s ‘funeral expenses payment’ in Scotland and was launched in September last year.
Local authorities step in to help families not eligible for the support payment, acting as the ‘applicant’ for the deceased’s funeral.
Across the UK, £6.3 million was spent on public health funerals which are also known as pauper funerals.
Two in five (38 per cent) public health funerals were carried out by councils because the deceased had no family, making it the most common reason.
The second most common reason was that the deceased’s family were unable to pay for the funeral (29 per cent).
Louise Eaton-Terry, funeral cost expert at Royal London, added: “Councils are continuing to take on the increasing cost of public health funerals for individuals who, sadly, have no family.
“The research also shows that families who are unable to afford the cost of a funeral for their loved one are turning to their local council for help.
“Whilst each council has a duty to arrange a funeral in these circumstances, it’s interesting to see the difference in spend on public health funerals by local authorities across the UK.
“Some councils are going above and beyond arranging a simple funeral while others do not allow families to attend the funeral.
“This is why we are calling for legislation on minimum standards for public health funerals to ensure everyone can, at the very least, attend the funeral and collect their loved one’s ashes.”
We told you last week how bereaved
Closing HMRC flies in the face of Boris’ own agenda
families will now be able to collect the ashes of their loved ones after public health funerals in South Lanarkshire.
Up until 2019, the council were one of just 21 local authorities in the UK that didn’t return ashes even if family members requested them.
However, a recent change in policy means families will now be able to do what they want with their relatives’ remains.
Mr McKinnon said: “We have seen a rise in the number of public health funerals over recent years and have worked closely with the Scottish Government and CoSLA on the subject of funeral poverty to look at options to assist with funeral costs.
“We also worked with the Scottish Government on its consultation on funeral poverty.
“Family and friends of the deceased are welcome to attend the cremation or burial at a public health funeral and can, if they wish, choose to collect the ashes of the deceased or witness their scattering in the Garden of Remembrance.”