Funerals

Information on public health and welfare funerals

Welfare funerals

We have a statutory duty under the provisions of Section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 to:

• undertake the disposal of deceased persons who die in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
• either by cremation or burial
• where no other arrangements have been made

We cannot become involved if:

• funeral arrangements have already been made
• or the funeral has taken place

Arranging a welfare funeral

We will arrange a cremation and the cremated remains will be strewn in the Garden of Remembrance at Kingston Crematorium unless:

• it is established that the religion of the deceased forbids cremation

or the deceased expressed a wish, either verbally or written, to be buried

• In exceptional circumstances, we may give the cremated remains into the care of a close family member or re-unite them with the remains of a previously deceased close family member.

We will arrange for a minister of religion or a religious representative of the faith of the deceased to conduct the service in accordance with that faith. If a non-religious service is appropriate, then this will be respected.

Our funeral director will provide a dignified funeral with a coffin taken to the crematorium or cemetery in a hearse attended by bearers. We will provide a bouquet of flowers for placing on the coffin.

Funeral costs

If living relatives are unable to pay for the funeral, a funeral payment contribution is available from Jobcentre Plus for those on income related qualifying benefits.

If there are relatives who are not prepared or able to accept responsibility for the funeral arrangements, then we have a duty to dispose of a deceased person and to recover their costs in making the arrangements.

Recovering funeral costs 

Welfare funeral staff have a legal right to enter a property under law to remove any items or assets to help cover the cost of the funeral. 

Any funds left over from this will be sent to the Treasury Solicitor.

Public Health funerals

We are frequently asked for information about public health funerals

In response to these requests, we are releasing the following information about public health funerals:

Public health data sets 

This information will be updated with information relating to public health funerals, on a quarterly basis on the closure of a case following disposal of the deceased.

Exemptions of updated information 

We won't provide any updated information before the next planned update. That information will be exempted under Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as it is information that we hold with the intention of publishing at some future date.

Exemption of additional information 

We won't provide additional information in the circumstances below because we will apply the exemption of additional information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

• Public health funerals
• People who have died with no known next of kin
• Bona vacantia estates
• Estates which have been referred to the Treasury Solicitor, or Duchy of Lancaster or Cornwall

Our reason for applying this exemption is that details of all deaths within the borough are registered. Deaths can be registered at any Register Office. Find out more about registering a death.

Information that we hold on estates passed, or estates to be passed, to the Treasury Solicitor, is considered to be held on behalf of the Treasury Solicitor's Department. Some details of the estate of those persons who have died and which have been passed to the Treasury Solicitor can be accessed via the Government Legal Department's website or via the Bona Vacantia website.