Suffolk Coastal District Council may, under Section 46 of the
Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, arrange the funeral of
anyone who dies within the district boundary when there is no one
available to take responsibility for the funeral.
This does not apply to anyone who dies in hospital, or in an
ambulance on the way to hospital. Under these circumstances, the
responsibility lies with the health authority.
What happens when we arrange a public health funeral?
Where it appears to us that no suitable arrangements are being
made by relatives or friends of the deceased, our Environmental
Protection team will undertake the arrangements for the funeral,
and where possible, reclaim the costs incurred from the deceased
estate.
Officers from the Environmental Protection team will conduct a
search of the deceased’s property (or room if in a care home) with
a view to finding details of their next of kin, their bank or
building society details, their Will or any money.
It is important that no one else enters the deceased's property
until an officer has undertaken a search. You could be seen as
intermeddling with the estate should you enter the deceased’s
property or begin to handle any personal effects.
The first claim on any estate are the funeral costs and
therefore we are permitted to sell any items of monetary value, if
necessary, to recover the costs of the funeral.
If we make arrangements for a funeral, it will be simplistic and
we are unable to purchase extra items such as hiring limousines for
attendees, or flowers.
We will normally opt for a burial in a common grave within a
local authority cemetery and a graveside funeral as it is normally
more cost effective than cremation.
Please note that in cases where we take responsibility for the
funeral arrangements, we do not administer the estate and are
therefore unable to make any payments on behalf of the
deceased.
Frequently asked questions
Who notifies the Council that a death has
occurred?
Normally, the coroner informs us, or if the
deceased’s last address was a care home, a member of staff from the
home may contact us.
I am a next of kin but I can’t afford the funeral
arrangements
If you are in receipt of benefits, you
may be able to claim a Funeral Payment from the
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and so you should
contact them in the first instance. You can apply any time after
the date the person has died and up to three months after the date
of the funeral. For more information visit the
DWP website (new window).
What happens to the deceased’s
belongings?
If the house belonged to the deceased and
there are no next of kin, the estate will be referred to the
Treasury
Solicitor (new window). If the deceased lived in a rented
property, the landlord is responsible for the personal effects and
their disposal. If a relative is found they may take responsibility
for this. If the deceased lived in a care or nursing home, the home
is responsible for the disposal of any items which belonged to the
deceased. Often these items will be given to charity.
Which funeral director does the Council
use?
Suffolk Coastal has a nominated funeral
director. If anyone other than this funeral director is asked to
make arrangements, the Council cannot be responsible for any costs
incurred up to that point.
If there is money in the deceased’s estate, can we spend
more on the funeral?
No, we are only able to arrange
simplistic funerals. If there is no next of kin and there is more
than £500 left in the estate after the funeral invoices have been
settled then the case is referred to the Treasury Solicitor for
them to investigate. For more information visit the
Treasury
Solicitor's website (new window).
What if there is a Will?
If a Will is
found then we will inform the executor named in the Will about the
death. It will then become the responsibility of the executor to
administer the estate and arrange the funeral.
Further information and advice
If you have any further questions, please call the Environmental
Protection team on 01394 444624 or email
environmental.protection@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
Freedom of Information requests
We receive a large number of requests, under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000, for details of cases where the Environmental
Protection team have undertaken arrangements for a funeral. The
document below provides the details of these cases and will be
updated and published here every two months: