39 Halton Residents' Funeral - KEY DECISION PDF 306 KB
Minutes:
The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise,
Community and Resources, on the proposal to set up a Halton Residents’ Funeral
package.
The Board was advised that the average
cost of a funeral had almost doubled since 2005, with costs expected to continue
to rise in future years. Following the death of a loved one, families had to
make decisions about funeral arrangements and to make choices which
increasingly plunged them into serious and long term debt.
The report set out details of a proposed Halton Residents’ funeral
package to provide a reasonably priced dignified funeral service, which would
be indistinguishable from any other funeral service. The report set out in more
detail what a fixed price Residents’ Funeral package would include.
Reason(s) for
Decision
To help to
alleviate funeral poverty within the Borough.
Alternative
Options Considered and Rejected
The Council could
simply do nothing and leave the delivery of this type of service to the market.
If that option was taken, prices for funerals would continue to rise, putting
more residents into debt.
Implementation
Date
January 2018.
RESOLVED: That the setting up
of a Halton Residents’ Funeral offer, as set out in Section 4 of the report, be
approved.