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Two Together: Save £100!
Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
Beat the price rise: Save up to £300!
Funeral plan prices increase after 28 February. Secure your plan today and save up to £300.
13 minute read
You may have come across the term ‘public health funeral’ but are unsure of what they involve, or if you can attend one. ‘Can you attend a public health funeral?’ is certainly one of the first questions that arises when the topic of these funerals comes up. If you’re here reading this article, it may be because you think you could need a public health funeral for yourself in the future, or because a loved one needs one imminently.
It’s natural to feel nervous about mourners not being allowed to attend this type of funeral. In this article, we will explain what a public health funeral is, and answer the question of whether or not you can attend one.
A public health funeral, often known colloquially as a ‘pauper’s funeral’, is a funeral arranged by a local authority in the UK for people who died without a funeral plan in place, and who have left nobody behind willing or able to bear the cost themselves. Governed by the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, these funerals are a legal responsibility for councils when no one else can take care of the arrangements.
Local authorities organise public health funerals for various reasons, often when the person who has died has no next of kin or their family members are unable to handle the costs. These funerals ensure that people who have died can still receive a simple funeral service, no matter their situation.
Understanding the concept and purpose of public health funerals helps dispel any misconceptions and raises awareness of this compassionate safety net provided by local councils.
If the person who has died had compared funeral plans and decided to take one out with Aura, then their funeral would already be paid for. In this case, they would not require a public health funeral.
This means that, even if the policy-holder did not have any next of kin or friends to arrange the funeral, the proceedings would still be carried out as per the person’s wishes by an appointed representative, such as a solicitor who has been nominated as the executor of their estate.
In the rare event that an executor has been named and no one is found to handle the arrangements, the funeral plan cannot be activated due to the lack of a representative. In this case, the local authority may step in to provide a public health funeral. However, they would aim to recover costs from the existing funeral plan funds or the person’s estate if assets are available.
It’s essential to contact the relevant council to clarify their specific process in such situations, as practices can vary.
The local council should encourage the next of kin, if found, to explore available options for arranging the funeral themselves. This may include offering support to access financial assistance schemes and more affordable alternatives where possible, such as direct cremations.
Aura is a trusted provider of direct cremation services across mainland Britain. Some may confuse this type of service with a public health funeral and also wonder if direct cremations can be attended. Direct cremations can be either attended and unattended, and are designed to meet the diverse needs of our customers. While direct cremations can be utilised by a local council as a means to provide a low-cost funeral to a person who has died, anyone interested in a more uncomplicated alternative to a traditional service might choose this option.
The question of attendance is nuanced and largely determined by the local authority’s discretion, and whether or not a minimal ceremony is being offered. While these funerals are primarily arranged for those without known next of kin, they are not necessarily closed to relatives, if found, or to others.
If family or friends of the person who has died come forward after arrangements have begun, they may be permitted to attend the funeral. Councils often welcome relatives who wish to participate, but this depends on the specific arrangements already in place. The council may let next of kin, friends, or relatives choose the music or readings, provided these can be accommodated without additional costs.
If resources allow, a notice may be placed in the local newspaper or on the local authority’s website, providing the time and venue details—especially when the person who has died had no next of kin. This helps to inform any friends or acquaintances who might want to come to the funeral.
There are cases where local authorities may limit attendees due to logistical constraints or budget considerations. For instance, when the service is conducted privately, or if no kin has made contact, attendance may not be facilitated.
In some instances, clergy, community organisations, or even concerned neighbours might attend to pay their respects. These situations are handled case by case, reflecting the delicate balance between privacy and public inclusion.
Attending a public health funeral may involve unique considerations about funeral etiquette and other matters. For family members, the experience can bring closure, albeit in a non-traditional setting. For local authorities, balancing dignity with budget constraints requires sensitivity.
In general, the etiquette of attending a public health funeral is much like any other funeral. It might be the case that any family present feels shame about the circumstances and would prefer not to discuss the fact that the cost is being borne by the local government. Avoid raising the subject at all, if possible, and if it is raised with you, try to handle it delicately by complimenting the service of the staff and the dignity of the occasion.
Applying for a public health funeral involves contacting the local council where the person died. Initiating the process can be done in the following steps:
Public health funerals are uncomplicated in nature, focusing on the practicalities of laying the person who has died to rest. The specific arrangements depend on the person’s known wishes, and if they are to be cremated or buried:
Typically conducted at a local crematorium. Services are usually unattended, but relatives may be informed of the cremation time. Ashes are either returned to family or scattered in the crematorium’s Garden of Remembrance.
The local authority will deliver a service which focuses on the cremation process, with only the very bare minimum of expenditure. While it may be possible to attend, as this adds extra cost, it shouldn’t be assumed that this will be possible.
When weighing up cremation vs burial, it’s clear that burial is significantly more expensive. In fact, according to Legal & General, between Greater London and Wales, the difference in cost of the same burial service could be ~£4,000. With public health funerals, there is something of a post-code lottery in terms of what each applicant may be able to receive, and, with costs like this, it may not be too hard to see why.
With a public health burial, the ceremony will take place at a local cemetery. Graves are often unmarked or identified with a simple plaque, and are sometimes called ‘common’ graves.
A minister of religion or a civil funeral celebrant may conduct the service, ensuring it respects the person’s religious beliefs or specific requests. However, in cases where the council is opting to streamline the service as much as possible by cutting out the attended element, there may simply be a council worker or crematorium attendant there to speak a few words and to carry our specific religious requests out of respect before the body is either cremated or buried.
Public health funerals are governed by a set of legal obligations and funding guidelines:
Public health funerals are governed by the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 in the UK. This legislation requires local authorities to arrange a funeral for individuals who pass away without known relatives or financial means to cover their burial or cremation. Councils must ensure that these arrangements are handled respectfully and comply with all relevant burial and cremation regulations.
Additionally, councils may recover funeral costs from the deceased’s estate if any assets are identified posthumously, in line with legal protocols.
Public health funerals differ from traditional funerals in several key ways:
These distinctions reflect the practical and compassionate nature of public health funerals, ensuring that everyone receives a dignified farewell, regardless of their circumstances. In all this, it’s important to bear in mind that a public health funeral is, by and large, the last resort. It’s the fall-back option when all else fails.
Much with popular funeral myths or cremation myths, there are some commonly held myths about public health funerals. A common one is that a direct cremation or a direct burial are the same thing as a public health funeral. Whilst both focus on making things as simple and streamlined as possible, in the former cases, this is something willingly chosen by the person for themselves, or by their family once they’ve died. In the latter, this is the kind of funeral that is held for them by the local council, even if they have wished for something grander and more elaborate.
Whilst it is common that public health funerals, for cost reasons, are unattended, it is not strictly true that attendance is prohibited as a rule. Whether or not you can attend the funeral of a relative or friend who is having a public health funeral will very much depend on the particular local council and what their policy allows.
Furthermore, many assume that the local council will simply pick up the tab, no questions asked, and that the person who has died will get the kind of funeral they were looking for anyway. This is not necessarily the case. Separate from government support schemes which help people to claim funeral costs for funerals which they are independently organising, a public health funeral is different. The local authority is legally required to take on the responsibility of arranging and paying for the funeral. But, with that said, they will still attempt to reclaim as much of the cost as possible from the estate of the person who has died.
It’s an unfortunate truth to say that instances of public health funerals are on the rise, with SunLife saying in their Cost of Dying report for 2024 that as many as 7% of funerals in 2023 may have been public health funerals. Times are hard, and have been for a while, which have seen household budgets shrinking and the cost of funerals rising. Whilst any feelings of shame that people may have around needing a public health funeral are natural and understandable, we want to reassure them that such funerals are just as dignified in their process and execution as any other.
We hope that this article has helped you feel more comfortable about the concept of public health funerals. If you’re currently organising a funeral for a loved one, or are worried that you may need to rely on the local government to pay for it, we want you to feel as well informed as possible.
If you’d like Aura’s help with funeral arrangements, whether in the here and now or as part of a prepaid funeral plan for the future, our Angel team is always ready to take your call. We are the UK’s top-rated ‘Cremation Services’ provider on Trustpilot with 4.9/5 stars. Our industry-leading Angels are behind that success, and they deliver our compassionate service to all families in our care.
If you’d like our support with funeral arrangements, please feel free to give us a call. We’re here to help.
