Advice charity reveals huge disparity in funeral costs across 32 council areas
More Scots are dying without enough cash for a decent send off, a leading charity has claimed.
A Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) report said the number of people asking for help with funeral costs had risen by 35% from 2014.
It highlighted a postcode lottery was taking place across the country when it came to funeral costs with the average burial costing a whopping £1,273.
CAS contacted all 32 Councils in Scotland to find out their charges finding huge disparities between the most expensive and the cheapest.
It found the increases were partly down to council fees which have been rising by an average of 7% since 2004.
People can’t afford to pay these huge costs - Fraser Sutherland
Aberdeenshire was one of the worst-offending local authorities for cost increases. It has raised the fees for a burial by 42% since 2014 – equating to a £420 rise.
And burial costs in East Dunbartonshire were found to be £1,900 higher than in East Renfrewshire – highlighting the increase in land costs from one area to another.
For burials, the most expensive council was East Dunbartonshire at £2,785, and the cheapest the Western Isles at £694 - a variation of £2,091.
Moray and South Lanarkshire have not seen any rise in their prices.
CAS spokesman Fraser Sutherland said local authority charges are a major problem and need to be addressed urgently: “We have found again that cremations are a much less expensive form of saying goodbye, with an average charge of £601,” he said.
“However even this is 5% higher than the charges last year, and is a difficult amount for many families to find, especially if the bereavement is sudden.
“Whether you choose a funeral or a cremation, the additional fees of funeral directors, florists etc. swell these basic costs considerably, but at least people can shop around and make choices about those services.
“We have seen a massive increase in the numbers of Scots coming to the CAB because they can’t afford to pay these huge costs.
“We have met with Scottish Government ministers and will continue to work with other campaign groups to highlight these issues and campaign for change.”
| Council | Internment cost | Lair cost | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. East Dunbartonshire | £1,258.00 | £1,527.00 | £2,785.00 |
| 2. City of Edinburgh | £1,010.00 | £1,152.00 | £2,162.00 |
| 3. City of Glasgow | £849.00 | £1,131.00 | £1,980.00 |
| 4. South Lanarkshire | £763.00 | £1,120.00 | £1,883.00 |
| 5. Stirling | £1,004.00 | £775.00 | £1,779.00 |
| 6. Perth and Kinross | £891.00 | £855.00 | £1,746.00 |
| 7. City of Aberdeen | £577.00 | £850.00 | £1,427.00 |
| 8. Aberdeenshire | £658.00 | £753.00 | £1,411.00 |
| 9. Moray | £758.00 | £615.00 | £1,373.00 |
| 10. Scottish Borders | £609.00 | £709.00 | £1,318.00 |
| 11. East Lothian | £709.00 | £561.00 | £1,270.00 |
| 12. North Lanarkshire | £610.00 | £636.00 | £1,246.00 |
| 13. South Ayrshire | £613.00 | £613.00 | £1,226.00 |
| 14. Angus | £601.00 | £559.90 | £1,160.90 |
| 15. Fife | £567.00 | £588.00 | £1,155.00 |
| 16. City of Dundee | £534.00 | £617.00 | £1,151.00 |
| 17. Clackmannanshire (median) | £562.58 | £581.00 | £1,143.58 |
| 18. West Dunbartonshire | £569.00 | £569.00 | £1,138.00 |
| 19. Argyll and Bute | £503.30 | £594.65 | £1,097.95 |
| 20. Inverclyde | £579.70 | £492.50 | £1,072.20 |
| 21. Orkney | £500.00 | £547.00 | £1,047.00 |
| 22. North Ayrshire | £519.00 | £519.00 | £1,038.00 |
| 23. Highland | £638.00 | £399.00 | £1,037.00 |
| 24. Midlothian | £488.25 | £512.93 | £1,001.18 |
| 25. West Lothian | £482.74 | £505.74 | £988.48 |
| 26. Dumfries and Galloway | £507.00 | £444.00 | £951.00 |
| 27. East Ayrshire | £482.50 | £461.50 | £944.00 |
| 28. Renfrewshire | £456.15 | £437.70 | £893.85 |
| 29. Falkirk | £424.00 | £466.00 | £890.00 |
| 30. Shetland | £440.00 | £440.00 | £880.00 |
| 31. East Renfrewshire | £444.00 | £414.00 | £858.00 |
| 32. Western Isles | £306.00 | £388.00 | £694.00 |
