Funeral directors in Moray have called for a reform of burial fees with charges due to increase by up to more than £700.
Sales of cemetery lairs and the additional price of the burial itself will both rise next month as part of the council’s annual review of fees.
It means the combined price of a lair and burial on a weekday will cost £2,806 from next month, an increase of £495 or 19.6% from the current price.
Meanwhile, the Saturday equivalent is due to rise by £593 to £3,554 and on Sundays it will increase by £726 to £4,301.
Moray Council says the large prices have been made to reflect the real cost of organising burials plus the ongoing maintenance of cemeteries.
It is understood that services have been heavily subsidised until now but policy decisions have been made to reduce the impact on other budgets.
However, funeral directors fear the increases could make a difficult time even more distressing for loved ones.
‘Soon the rich will only be able to afford to be buried’
Callum Ross, funeral director at Forres-based Tom Ross and Sons Funeral Directors, has penned an open letter to Moray Council.
In it, he reveals the internment fee for his father at the town’s Clovenside Cemetery was £373 in 2011 – a service that will soon cost £1,495.
It is understood talks have already taken place between funeral directors and councillors in an attempt to consult more about future prices.
Speaking to the Press and Journal, Mr Ross said: “Funeral poverty is a very real thing. We, as funeral directors, see that.
“We appreciate there will always be price rises as everything goes up in price, but these price rises are five times the rate of inflation, which is colossal.
“If they continue then realistically it will only be the rich who can afford to be buried.”
Steven Thomson, director of Lossiemouth-based Steven Thomson and Son Funeral Directors, added: “The increases have gone through the roof, they’re just not sustainable for families who want to be buried.
“If someone has their husband or wife already in a lair and they want to be buried with them, it might to be cremated and have their ashes interred instead because it is a cheaper option.”
This year’s annual SunLife Cost of Dying Report has highlighted the continuing rise in popularity for direct cremations, which is one without a funeral service or ceremony.
In 2019 it accounted for just 3% of all deaths across the UK but had risen to 20% during 2024.
Insurance firm SunLife attributed the rise to cost-of-living pressures.
Extra burial charges for out-of-Moray residents
Burial fees in Moray have been comparable with neighbouring authorities in recent years.
Aberdeenshire Council currently charges £2,430 for a burial and lair, more expensive than the £2,347 that has been charged in Moray until now.
However, the equivalent cost from Highland Council is just £1,661.
Both Moray and Aberdeenshire councils have a surcharge for burials of those who have lived outside of the council region.
In Moray, it will push up the price by an additional £1,250 on weekdays, a further £1,875 on Saturdays and £2,500 on Sundays from April.
The excess fees were debated by councillors as recently as September when an attempt from Conservative members to have the surcharge scrapped was overturned.
Instead, SNP, Labour and independent members backed proposals to retain it for the first interment in a lair before dropping it for future burials.
Why Moray Council is increasing cost of burials
The worries about the increase in burial costs is the latest concern to be raised about the management of Moray cemeteries.
In January funeral directors spoke out about plans to reduce internments to just two slots per day at 10.40am and 1.10pm.
The proposals have been postponed after worries were raised the first time is too early to be viable for most.
A Moray Council spokesman said: “The changes implemented this year reflect the actual expenses of running the burial service and maintaining cemeteries.
“These adjustments also account for new costs, including those related to compliance with new regulations under the Burials Act.
“Applying an out-of-area charge is not unique to Moray, and prioritising the provision of burial spaces for those residing in the area is the council’s first priority.”
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