Price of funerals to rise

Funeral charges in Walsall are set to rise by up to £168 - the fourth increase proposed by council bosses in a year as they try to raise money to restructure the service.

The above-inflation increases would see a four per cent rise in the majority of cremation fees and nine per cent for burials.

It means from January 1 the cost of a basic adult burial will rise from £1,166 to £1,271 and cremation from £372 to £387.

Separate charges are made for monuments, gravestones, plaques and the use of crematorium chapels.

The biggest rise is for a two person burial plot, including memorial, with a proposed increase of £168 from £1,856 to £2,024.

Charges have been raised in January, July and September this year although some of the existing prices will be frozen during the next price increase.

When prices were raised in September council bosses said the move was essential to raise nearly £2 million to improve its cemeteries.

Steve Billings, Walsall Council's bereavement services manager, said: "These proposals have arisen from a review of the budget make- up and fluctuating levels in demand for burials."