Latest news with #Tettenhall
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Fury at 'fat tax' to bury obese dead people in XL graves
Town hall chiefs have been blasted over plans to charge grieving families a 'fat tax' to bury their overweight loved ones in XL graves. People living in Wolverhampton could face a 20 per cent price increase for larger plots to accommodate super-sized coffins. Danescourt cemetery in Tettenhall could charge families £2,700 for a 6ft wide burial plot - a price hike of £450 over a standard 5ft grave. Wolverhampton is one of the fattest cities in the UK, with over two-thirds of the population classed as overweight or obese. Solve the daily Crossword
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Major U-turn on council ‘fat tax' proposal after ‘20% levy' on 6ft-wide graves for bodies ‘too big to bury' sparks fury
A COUNCIL has been forced into a U-turn after it tried to slap grieving families with a so-called 'fat tax' for bigger burial plots. Wolverhampton City Council has ditched plans to charge more for wider graves at Danescourt Cemetery in Tettenhall, following major backlash from funeral directors and charities. 3 3 3 Danescourt cemetery told families it would cost £2,700 if they need to buy a 6ft wide plot, which is 20 per cent more than a standard 5ft grave. The proposals were made in May after talks with local funeral parlours, but councillors were forced to back down on Thursday after the outcry. The council claimed the higher price tag was due to a rise in demand for larger graves. Statistics from 2021 revealed that a third of Wolverhampton's population was classed as obese, well above the national average of 25.9 per cent. But after public pressure, the council said it had 'decided not to proceed with the plans'. A City of Wolverhampton Council spokesperson told The Sun: 'No formal decision was ever taken on plans to charge more for larger burial plots. 'This is a common practice taken by councils around the country where higher charges cover the costs of providing a larger plot. 'However, while under consideration, we have decided not to proceed with the plans.' A source said: 'It looked heartless - grieving families don't need a bill like this on top of everything else.' The move to set aside a special section at Danescourt Cemetery for bigger coffins was given the green light by councillors back in May. Other councils, including Birmingham, Walsall and Coventry, have introduced higher fees for larger burial plots, and Wolverhampton said this was among the reasons behind their original proposal. Trolls say council houses can't look nice but my stunning hallway will prove them wrong Before signing it off, the council said it reached out to 25 local funeral directors for their views - but only 10 replied, and just one raised any objections. Funeral directors condemned the proposed plans before the council changed their mind. Ross Hickton, a fourth-generation funeral director who runs seven branches of his family firm, Hickton Family Funeral Directors, said: 'Essentially it's a fat tax. 'Families are already going through enough when they're bereaved. "People have paid into the system their whole lives and paid local council tax, and now they're being slapped with another tax at the point of death just due to their size.' Hickton acknowledged that space was limited but said the council had 'a duty of care to local residents to ensure burial space is provided' while catering to religions and cultures that practise burial. Wolverhampton resident Rosemarie McLaren told the BBC she felt the move was "discrimination, it's not acceptable". "Someone like me who's a bit bigger, is going to be charged [more] because I'm fat," she added. However, Matthew Crawley, chief executive at the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, said the charge seemed reasonable. "You have a finite amount of space to work with; therefore if you need to eat into a grave next door, say, then that needs to be accounted for," he said. "You also have to account for the idea that digging the grave itself will also need extra equipment to keep it safe." The National Association of Funeral Directors warned this year that the width of the average coffin had increased in the past decade from between 18 and 20 inches to between 20 and 24 inches.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Wolverhampton cemetery's extra fee for wider graves criticised as ‘fat tax'
Residents of Wolverhampton have criticised plans for what is being called a 'fat tax' on burial plots after a city cemetery imposed a premium on wider graves. Danescourt cemetery in Tettenhall will charge an extra 20% to families whose loved ones need a 6ft-wide plot, as opposed to a standard 5ft grave. Wolverhampton council said the price premium was in response to an increase in obesity levels in the city, where a third of people are obese, compared with the national average of just over a quarter. The council said it had contacted 25 funeral directors before introducing the measure, with only one of them posing an objection. The funeral director Ross Hickton told the BBC the charge was a 'fat tax' and that it was 'not really acceptable or fair'. He said: 'You know people have paid into the system their entire life, paid their council tax to Wolverhampton council, and for them to be told [the grave is] 20% more because of the size of their loved one, it's not really acceptable or fair.' Matthew Crawley, the chief executive at the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, said the charge seemed reasonable. 'You have a finite amount of space to work with; therefore if you need to eat into a grave next door, say, then that needs to be accounted for,' he said. 'You also have to account for the idea that digging the grave itself will also need extra equipment to keep it safe.' The costs, the council said, reflected 'the increased costs incurred in providing [wider graves], including disposing of the additional soil'. 'Many other local councils, including Birmingham and Walsall, charge higher fees for larger graves,' it said. Across the UK, the picture is mixed. A survey by the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors of its members found a quarter of local authorities charged extra for wider burial plots. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion There was also a concern in Wolverhampton for couples who wanted to be buried together, but where one was already buried in a standard plot while the other needed to be buried in a larger grave. At Danescourt, the council said, 'while space allows, [families] will still be able to choose to place larger coffins at the end of existing rows' at no extra cost'. But otherwise, the council told a funeral director in an email seen by the BBC, the family would 'have to consider burying the bariatric partner elsewhere, purchasing a second grave or exhuming the first partner to ensure they can be buried together'.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Tettenhall business owners claim Wolverhampton can learn from them
"It's often said we're full of cafes, hairdressers and estate agents," laughs Kevin Allen. The businessman is talking about Tettenhall, a green and leafy village which is among the most affluent places in Wolverhampton. The 66-year-old is the owner of Gluttons for Nourishment, a bustling boutique establishment, popular among locals for fresh cakes and afternoon he and other traders don't just cater to the wealthy. They believe the area's diverse retail offering is something other places could learn from. High streets across the UK have found themselves plagued by empty shops. According to some estimates in 2024, one in seven are thought to be shuttered. In Wolverhampton, this is perhaps best symbolised by city landmark Beatties, left empty in 2020 after more than 140 years. Plans have been approved to redevelop the site, with new shops, restaurants and cafes hoping to "re-energise" the however, has no such problems, locals claim. Mr Allan, 66, said he had sought the village out before opening his restaurant, knowing it was a good place to do business. "We wanted something in Tettenhall," he explained."It has proved to be the correct decision." Chris Wyer, who owns Baked in Tettenhall, has become used to serving famous faces. The village is thought to be home to several Wolverhampton Wanderers players while cycling champion Hugh Porter is also a regular customer. The 45-year-old said he was proud to run what he claimed was the only bakery in the city producing real bread without additives or processing aids. He said he believed businesses like his made the area stand out, at a time where other places were struggling. "It's a challenging time for the big city centres," Mr Wyer said. "Customers are longing for something that is a little bit different [and] for us that has been a positive." Mark Hodgkiss has run Tettenhall's Mode Menswear for seven years. He claimed any empty units were snapped up almost immediately, with people even asking him to keep an eye out in case any became available. He also believes lessons can be learned from Tettenhall and said it showed how retailers could succeed. "It's the kind of shops, customer service and environment that's here," he explained. "Walk around Wolverhampton and there's loads of boarded-up shops. You walk around Tettenhall and there isn't. "If you get the units filled with the right things [you will] encourage footfall and growth into the city centre." City and regional leaders are working to regenerate large swathes of say it is going through "significant transformation", with millions poured in to transform the city centre and surrounding towns. In February 2024, the City of Wolverhampton Council launched a taskforce to monitor empty buildings and bring them back into use. "The benefits of reusing empty buildings and developing vacant sites are considerable, including the provision of new jobs and homes," said council leader Stephen Simkins. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Council overruled on children's home plans
A move to open a children's home that was twice turned down will now go ahead after councillors in Wolverhampton were overruled by the government's planning inspector. The City of Wolverhampton Council had rejected two planning applications to convert the residential property in Redhouse Road, Tettenhall into a children's home for up to three children. Councillors had said there was "no demonstrable need" for the children's home. However, the inspector questioned this, saying figures presented to the appeal suggested it was "not evident" that the supply of children's homes in the aera was meeting local need. Planning applications to convert the home were rejected in April and December last year before applicant Ernest Mandaza of Professional Healthcare Solutions made an appeal to the government's planning inspector in a bid to get the decision overturned. The inspector, who has the power to overrule the council, said figures provided during the appeal showed that 88 children in care were housed 20 miles or more away from the city at the end of 2023 - including more than a dozen that lived in homes further than 100 miles away. "The council states that there is not a demonstrable need locally for this use, but I have limited substantiated evidence to support this point nor that the need for such accommodation would not increase in the near future," the inspector said. "Whilst I note that there are several private children's care homes in the city as well as some in the nearby area, it is not evident that these, alongside the council's own provision, are meeting its need." The inspector said that moving children more than 20 miles away from friends, family and schools could result in them having "significantly lower wellbeing" than at home. The inspector also disagreed with several neighbours who said the children's home would "threaten their safety", saying the plan would result in "no significant harm" given the number of staff present for the three vulnerable children. When rejecting the second application last year, City of Wolverhampton Council's planners said the level of support for three looked after children would be "considerably different" to that of a family home - leading to more noise and disturbance. The decision read: "The application would result in the loss of another family dwelling... in this area, and the council's children's services have also confirmed that there is not a demonstrable need for such accommodation in the city of Wolverhampton and have also advised there are already a number of children's homes in close proximity to the application site." This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. City of Wolverhampton Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
