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Fury at 'fat tax' to bury obese dead people in XL graves
Fury at 'fat tax' to bury obese dead people in XL graves

Yahoo

time4 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.

Fury at 'fat tax' to bury obese dead people in XL graves
Fury at 'fat tax' to bury obese dead people in XL graves

Yahoo

time4 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

Funeral directors warn of new ‘fat tax'
Funeral directors warn of new ‘fat tax'

The Independent

time4 days ago

  • Health
  • The Independent

Funeral directors warn of new ‘fat tax'

Funeral directors are raising concerns about a "fat tax" where families face additional charges for burying overweight or obese individuals due to larger coffin sizes. A survey by the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) revealed that a quarter of funeral directors report their local authorities imposing extra fees for "bariatric burials", ranging from under £100 to more than £1,000 in some areas. Ross Hickton, SAIF's national president, condemned these additional costs as discriminatory, arguing they unfairly burden families who have already paid taxes. Wolverhampton Council had considered implementing a 20 per cent extra charge for larger burial plots but has since decided not to proceed with the plan. Controversy also surrounds Wolverhampton Council's reported intention to create a separate section for larger graves at Danescourt Cemetery, which critics view as penalising and stigmatising.

Wolverhampton council rethinks plan to introduce premium on wider graves
Wolverhampton council rethinks plan to introduce premium on wider graves

The Guardian

time4 days ago

  • General
  • The Guardian

Wolverhampton council rethinks plan to introduce premium on wider graves

A council has decided against introducing a premium on wider burial plots in Wolverhampton following condemnation that it was a 'fat tax'. Danescourt cemetery in Tettenhall had planned to charge an extra 20% to families whose loved ones need a 6ft-wide plot, as opposed to a standard 5ft grave. Wolverhampton council previously said the higher charge was in response to an increase in obesity levels in the Midlands city, where a third of people are obese, compared with the national average of just over a quarter. Councillors had approved the charges in May after consultation with local funeral parlours, but backed down on Thursday. Wolverhampton city council 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.' The council previously said it had contacted 25 funeral directors before introducing the measure, with only one of them posing an objection. Local authorities in Telford, Birmingham, Walsall, Coventry and Staffordshire have implemented charges for wider coffins. One of the first councils to introduce higher fees for larger graves was Houghton Regis town council, Bedfordshire, in 2009. A survey by the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors of its members across the UK found a quarter of local authorities charged extra for wider burial plots. There was also 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. Prior to Wolverhampton council backing down over the contentious proposals, funeral director Ross Hickton told the BBC the charge was a 'fat tax' and that it was 'not really acceptable or fair', adding: '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.' 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 In January, the National Association of Funeral Directors said the width of the average coffin had increased in the past decade from between 18 and 20 inches to between 20 and 24 inches. Wolverhampton resident Rosemarie McLaren had said she felt the plan was 'discrimination, it's not acceptable'. She told the BBC: 'Someone like me who's a bit bigger, is going to be charged [more] because I'm fat.'

Major U-turn on council ‘fat tax' proposal after ‘20% levy' on 6ft-wide graves for bodies ‘too big to bury' sparks fury
Major U-turn on council ‘fat tax' proposal after ‘20% levy' on 6ft-wide graves for bodies ‘too big to bury' sparks fury

The Sun

time4 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.

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