Latest news with #burial plots
The Sun
4 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.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Council forced to back down on graves ‘fat tax'
A council has been forced to back down on plans to implement a 'fat tax' on bigger burial plots following local backlash. Wolverhampton councillors had faced criticism for a 'lack of empathy' after they proposed charging hundreds of pounds more for bigger plots. The Labour-run town hall confirmed to the BBC that a 20pc premium on 6ft-wide spaces had been agreed in May. It would have cost a family £2,700 as opposed to £2,250 for a standard plot. A council spokesman had told reporters that the higher price reflected 'the increased costs incurred in providing them, including disposing of the additional soil'. But when contacted by The Telegraph, a spokesman said it had decided 'not to proceed with the plans'. The council had failed to consult Wolverhampton residents on the changes, instead only speaking to local funeral directors. Ross Hickton, of Hickton Family Funeral Directors in the West Midlands, said the decision was a 'win for the people of Wolverhampton and a dose of common sense'. 'It's a great relief for funeral directors not having to have difficult conversations with families. It's a shame that the council didn't listen to our advice originally [in the consultation] as they would have saved themselves a lot of trouble. 'Other local authorities should take heed of what's happened here.' '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,' Mr Hickton added. 'The 'fat tax' would 'push more people into funeral poverty. 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.' The decision to introduce the extra charge was made after an increase in demand for larger graves, the council previously 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. The proportion of households that are overweight is gradually increasing, according to government data. In 2023-24, 64.5pc of adults in England were overweight or living with obesity. This is higher than the previous year, 64pc, and follows an upward trend since 2015, when the figure was 61.2pc. The average coffin width has increased in the past decade, from around 20-22 inches to 22-24 inches, according to the National Association of Funeral Directors. 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. Local authorities in Telford, Birmingham, Walsall, Coventry and Staffordshire also charge extra for wider coffins. 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. A City of Wolverhampton Council spokesman said: '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.'
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
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.
