GMB union expresses concerns over the high cost of dying

Brent has been named today as one of the most expensive local authorities in the country to bury a loved one.

According to the GMB union the cost of a burial plot in one of the boroughs cemeteries was £2,675 – making it the 19th dearest in the nation.

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB, told the union’s annual conference in Plymouth: “At a time when the cost of living occupies most people’s concerns, it will be a real shock to many that the cost of dying is so high.

“While GMB realises that the public are not queuing up to test the services, it remains a fact that few have any idea of how much even a simple burial or cremation actually costs.”

Lambeth was the most expensive local authority the country with a price of £5,329.

Last year Brent Council raised the price of a memorial or headstone by six per cent and hiked the cost of hiring a chapel by 6.6 per cent.

In addition the cost of cancelling or arriving more than 20 minutes later to bury your loved one was increased by 6.5 per cent.