Exploring the Truth Behind the 'Pauper’s Funeral’

By Jackie Lymn Rose, Director and fourth generation at A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service, UK

It may seem odd to outsiders that, although Great Britain includes England, Wales and Scotland there are variations in law and practice in Scotland. Therefore, this article specifically references England and Wales.

In the past most funerals were funded out of the estate of the deceased such costs being prioritised. Of late we find that families live on “credit”, have no life insurance and no savings, although, (cynic that I am), they probably have the most modern television and the mobile telephone!

“Pauper’s Funeral” is a term we hear in the media as an emotive statement. There is no such thing and is often used to describe a Public Health Funeral.

Section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 was introduced as a means to protect public health. The local authority is duty bound to cause the burial or cremation of a person dying or found dead in their area, the criteria being that the deceased had no personal assets or, if there are family, they are unable or unwilling to fund a funeral. An unwilling family may have severed ties with the deceased during their life, my experience suggests that lifestyle choices of the deceased were contrary to those of their family. The assigned Environmental Health Officer appointed by the local authority will scrutinise the affairs of the deceased before a decision to fund is reached.

Public Health funerals can be burial or cremation mindful of the faith of the deceased and, excepting the Funeral Director and the local authority, no one would know the source of funding as a dignified, traditional albeit simple funeral will be afforded. The Funeral Director providing such a service will be selected, by tender, for a fixed period.

Should it subsequently be discovered that the deceased had funds the cost can be recovered up to three years after the funeral.

When someone of limited income dies but is not eligible for a Public Health Funeral their representative (usually next of kin) will generally take responsibility for the funeral and sign a contract with the funeral provider. If that person is in receipt of a means tested benefit or, in the case of a spouse, eligible to receive such a benefit of due to loss of income into the home, they can within six months of the funeral date apply to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for a funeral payment from the DWP Social Fund. The maximum amount of such would be for any essential third-party costs such as Cemetery or Crematorium and up to £1,000.00 towards any other aspect of the funeral costs. This will undoubtedly leave a shortfall which, in the case of our company, can be managed by a low interest unsecured load subject, initially, to an affordability check.

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