We are finding that the current Funeral Payment will not cover even the most basic of funerals. If you shop around and plead abject poverty you can get a funeral for about £500 more than the Payment. This will mean no cars and no viewing of the body and no flowers. Local funeral directors are of course wise to this and will charge the £500 up front before they will arrange any funeral they are aware will go to the Social Fund.

The hardship this causes is mostly hidden as most families will scrape the money together between them or those that can will use their Bereavement Payment. The one's who are really caught are unmarried partners and lone family members. Most of them end up with a debt far higher than the £500 because a normal basic funeral is about £1200 over the Payment maximum and they were not aware before the Payment is made that it would not be fully cover the cost.

We are not sure if this is reflected across the country of if this is just a London problem. We would appreciate some feedback on this with a view to taking it further.

Aida Shoush
St Christophers Hospice
51- 59 Lawrie Park Road
London
SE26 6DZ

It's not an uncommon scenario. I dealt with an example very recently. Client arranged very basic funeral for a deceased close relative. Shortfall between Funeral Payment & cost of funeral was over £600. Client is single and there are no other family members to help towards shortfall. Luckily, a local charity has made a grant to cover the shortfall. Client couldn't have arranged a cheaper funeral.

Whilst not addressing the underlying problem, ie, Social fund's reluctance to recognise rises in funeral costs due to inflation, two other sources of help could be useful - SSAFA and the British Legion for those customers and/or families who have had connections with the Armed Forces in the past. Both these organisations have excellent records of helping in such circumstances.

In addition to the above benevolent funds, a wide variety of occupational benevolent funds can be accessed at http://www:joblinks.org.uk/