Funeral and Leisure Service Fees to Increase in Lancashire Borough

Funeral and cremation services in a Lancashire borough are slated to become more expensive in the upcoming year. The fee for purchasing a grave plot in Blackburn with Darwen is set to increase by approximately 5%, rising from £1,540 to £1,625. Concurrently, the charge for a single burial will see a 3% increase, moving from £630 to £650. Additionally, charges for sessions at the region’s three leisure centres will also be raised by an amount between 50p and £1, effective from 1 January. Councillor Jim Smith, who is responsible for environmental services at the council, stated that the escalating charges were a consequence of higher utilities costs. Councillor Mustafa Desai, leader of the main opposition 4BwD group, cautioned that the increasing burial costs could “provide a challenge for bereaved families during their most difficult of times.” He also noted that “The take up of the leisure services could potentially decrease, which would subsequently impact the targets for increasing physical activity in the borough and thus impacting the health profile.” Councillor John Slater, who leads the council’s Conservative group, characterized these increases as “a death tax and a killjoy tax.” He further asserted, “The council is putting more and more financial pressure on the people of this borough to bail out the incompetence of [Smith’s] Labour bosses.” Environment boss Smith added that “Fees and charges income makes a valuable contribution to the running costs of cemeteries and crematoria services, enabling these important services to be sustained and provided.” He also confirmed that the council would continue to offer “public health funerals for people who have passed away in the borough and have no next of kin, or whose next of kin, relatives or friends are unable to make the necessary arrangements.”