Funeral costs on the rise for grieving Shropshire families

According to figures released by Royal London, the average cost of a funeral in Telford & Wrekin is £3,597. A burial will cost £3,832 and a cremation would be in the region of £3,361.

In Shropshire a burial costs £3,498, a cremation £3,208 and the average funeral costs £3,353.

Royal London’s funeral cost expert, Louise Eaton-Terry, said: “High funeral costs have left many families taking on a mountain of debt, with our research showing a huge increase in the amount being borrowed by the bereaved over the last five years. More support needs to be offered to families struggling to pay for funeral costs, and as a result being forced into debt.

“The funeral payment is seriously lacking, and it’s shocking that the government do not consider funeral director’s fees and a coffin to be a “necessary” cost. We want the social fund to cover the cost of a basic funeral, as no one should have to struggle to give their loved ones a decent send-off.”

Expensive

The average cost of a funeral nationally is £3,757, down from £3,784 in 2017. London has consistently been the most expensive region in the UK for a funeral. Northern Ireland remains the least expensive region, with a funeral in Belfast costing an average of £2,950.

In the fifth year of Royal London’s research into funeral costs, the average cost of a UK funeral has risen by six per cent, from £3,551 in 2014 to £3,757 in 2018.

One in 10 took on debt to pay for a loved one’s funeral, with the average amount of debt taken on by individuals rising to an all-time high of £1,744.

Of those who struggled with funeral costs, three in 10 people borrowed money from friends and family and one in five took on debt. Sadly, one in 10 continue to sell possessions to give their loved ones a decent send-off.

Families struggling with funeral costs could be entitled to help from the Government to pay for necessary costs but the research found that the support offered is inadequate.

Funeral director’s fees, a coffin, hearse and collection and care of the deceased are not seen as necessary costs by the Government and only up to £700 is offered to bereaved families to cover costs. This leaves bereaved families with an average shortfall of £1,500 if they use the services of a funeral director.

Individual funeral debt has increased at a much higher rate - 34 per cent - in the last five years, with people now taking on an average debt of £1,744, compared to £1,305 in 2014.