Councils urged to cancel price rises at Chesterfield crematorium and stop ‘excess profiting from the bereaved’

The Chesterfield Liberal Democrats have called on the Chesterfield and District Joint Crematorium Committee to freeze its charges at the Brimington Crematorium.

The committee, which includes Chesterfield Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and Bolsover District Council, voted to raise the standard cremation fee from £830 to £905.

Paul Holmes, leader of the Chesterfield Lib Dems, said: “Regrettably, not one Labour or Conservative councillor present at the meeting would second my motion and so, for the second year running, we could not vote on my proposal.

“Instead, they voted through this year’s 10% increase in the standard cremation fee, with only myself voting against. This price increase is expected to bring in an extra £150,000.”

Data published by the Cremation Society of Great Britain found that, in 2022, Chesterfield was ranked as the 174th most expensive crematorium out of 314 across the UK.

The previous fee of £830 was just below the national average of £855 – although the new charge now exceeds this figure.

A Competition and Markets Authority study of the UK’s funeral market, which concluded in December 2020, also found that customers in Derbyshire and across the country were being overcharged for cremation services.

It said: “customers of both private and local authority facilities have been paying too much – with the former overpaying by at least £115 per cremation and potentially as much as £210 on average, while the latter are overpaying by at least £80 per cremation and potentially as much as £170 per cremation on average. We consider that the upper end of these ranges is more probable than the lower end.”

Coun Homes urged the Committee to cancel the price increase – and said that the Brimington Crematorium has made hundreds of thousands of pounds in profit in recent years.

He said: “The Brimington Crematorium provides an excellent service and its prices are slightly below national averages. Therefore, they are mid-range in the figures quoted by the Competition & Markets Authority. Scrapping this year’s 10% price increase would bring their prices down to the level recommended.

“They would still be making a substantial profit – or surplus as some councillors coyly like to call it. Over the last three years, after all running costs and putting good sums away in reserves against future capital, equipment and maintenance costs, the crematorium has each year made a ‘surplus profit’ of £700,000, £600,000 and £700,000.

“It’s time to stop excess profiting from the bereaved. We should not wait until the Competition and Markets Authority intervenes to cap prices. We should take a lead now.”

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Councillor Alan Powell, chair of Chesterfield and District Joint Crematorium Committee, said: “Crematorium fees and charges are subject to an annual review by the Joint Crematorium Board, which represents North East Derbyshire District Council, Bolsover District Council and Chesterfield Borough Council. This annual review takes place to ensure we have sufficient funds to allow us to maintain the high standard at the Crematorium for our residents during what will be a difficult time for them.

“Over recent months, the national economic picture has changed dramatically, with a range of significant issues outside of the local council’s control which are impacting on the cost of providing services. As a result of this, the Joint Crematorium Board had to take the difficult decision and increase fees and charges to take account of the rising cost of running services.

“When reviewing the fees, we have assessed the affordability of the increases for our residents. Our fees are comparable with local operators and the crematorium at Brimington is currently less expensive than the national average.”