2 days ago
Too big to bury: council imposes ‘fat tax' on graves
A cash-strapped council is embroiled in a 'fat tax' row after introducing higher charges for bigger burial plots at one of its cemeteries.
A 6ft-wide plot at Danescourt Cemetery in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton will cost families £2,700 – a 20pc premium on the cost of a standard 5ft grave.
Critics said that it shows a 'lack of empathy for what a family goes through'.
The Labour-run authority made the decision in May, a month after increasing council tax by the maximum amount of 4.99pc.
Ross Hickton, of Hickton Family Funeral Directors in the West Midlands, told The Telegraph the 'fat tax' would 'push more people into funeral poverty'.
He added: 'If you live in Wolverhampton, you have the right to be buried here without extra costs. You shouldn't be paying a premium for a basic right. It shows a lack of empathy for what a family goes through.'
'Under the radar' decision
Mr Hickton claimed that the council failed to consult the public on the changes and only reached out to local funeral directors: 'Wolverhampton passed this under the radar.
'If you've paid into the system your whole life, through council tax and income tax, you shouldn't be forced to pay an additional 20pc tax.'
The decision to introduce the extra charge was made after an increase in demand for larger graves, the council told the BBC.
The city has higher than normal obesity rates of 33.3pc, compared with the national average of 25.9pc, according to a 2021 survey.
One of the first councils to introduce higher fees for larger graves was Houghton Regis Town Council in 2009.
On its website, the Bedfordshire town hall said: 'Where the coffin width is such that the burial encroaches into the next available burial plot, such that it cannot be used, the above fees will be increased by 50pc.' It would take the cost from £364 to £728.
The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors asked its members if their council charged more for bigger plots. Out of 165 respondents, 25pc said yes.
The BBC found that a third of 27 local authorities in the West Midlands charged more for wider graves.
