Council charges £30 to live-stream funerals

A COUNCIL has been accused of cashing in on mourners by charging them to live-stream funerals.

People unable to attend Worcester crematorium can watch remotely online after audio-visual technology was installed in May.

Worcester council sets a £30 charge to broadcast the funeral, while a watch-again service available for 28 days afterwards costs £15 more.

Video of the filmed ceremony is on sale for £50 and a “professional photo tribute” of 25 photos set to music, which was free, is £60. It means a single mourner unable to attend could pay as much as £155 for mementos of the service.

Critics said the scheme could be yet another council ploy to generate revenue from the bereaved. But Worcester council denied it was driven by profit, insisting it was providing “convenience” for mourners.

Paul Allcock, president of the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, said: “This could be another way for councils to recoup costs – but I hope they see this as a service for those who need it, and not something to offer for commercial reasons.

“Our main concern is there would be a lack of support for people not attending funerals but who are grieving, as we have already seen a breakdown in society with the moving away of families. But as long as it is offered as an optional service and not as an extra cost for every funeral then I think it might be seen a lot more in the coming years.”

A council spokesman said: “It is not being introduced as a commercial measure. The costs principally cover the webcasting and associated services.”

In six weeks, the council collected £510. “We do not expect a high take-up rate,” he added. “This is for the convenience and support of mourners.”