Public health funerals in Dorset

Public health funeral arrangements 

We recognise that there are exceptional circumstances when families have no alternative but to seek our assistance in making funeral arrangements.

Families that can afford other, simpler funeral arrangements but choose not to, should avoid taking this route.  Public Health Funerals are not a free alternative to a family’s moral responsibility to care for their own members.

Eligibility

A public health funeral should not be confused with getting financial assistance toward the cost of a funeral for a friend or relative.

If you’re finding it difficult to pay for a funeral, you may be able to claim a Funeral Expenses Payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Dorset Council cannot provide support with payments, you must contact the DWP directly.

You must usually pay back any money you receive from the deceased person's estate, if they have one.

To claim a Funeral Payment, print and fill out the claim form or contact the DWP bereavement service helpline to claim by phone (details are available on the page).

When we will carry out a Public Health Funeral

Public Health Funerals fall under Section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. We have a responsibility to make arrangements and pay for Public Health Funerals in certain circumstances.

The council will only arrange and pay for a funeral if no one else is willing to do so.

Public Heath Funerals are always an unattended (direct) service.

In cases where a public health funeral is agreed, we will:

• respect the wishes of the deceased, if known
• decide the date, time, and place of the funeral.
• The cost of making arrangements can be acquired using funds from the deceased person's estate (the belongings owned by that person).

For more information please contact Environmental Health.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests 

We are frequently asked for information about public health funerals, people who have died with no known next of kin, bona vacantia estates and estates which have been referred to the Government Legal Department, or Duchy of Lancaster or Cornwall. In response to these requests, we are releasing the following information about public health funerals for the previous five years.

We only refer cases to the Government Legal Department when the next of kin cannot be traced and the estate is over £500.

Information relating to public health funerals will be updated as cases are completed.

View the Register of Public Health Funerals 

We apply the following exemptions to the release of any further information about public health funerals, people who have died with no known next of kin, bona vacantia estates and estates which have been referred to the Government Legal Department, or Duchy of Lancaster or Cornwall:

Section 21 - Information Reasonably Accessible to the Applicant by Another Means

Our reason for applying this exemption is that details of all deaths within the area are registered. Deaths can be registered at any registry office. Information that the council holds on estates passed, or estates to be passed, to the Government Legal Department, is considered to be held on behalf of the Government Legal Department. Some details of the estate of those persons who have died and which have been passed to the Government Legal Department can be accessed via the Government Legal Department or via the bona vacantia website.

Section 31 - Law Enforcement

Revealing details of the assets of an estate before the Government Legal Department has undertaken their own enquiries would provide an opportunity for criminal acts to be committed (for example, theft or fraud).

Similarly, there would be concerns about making the last known address of the deceased public, as the property is likely to be unoccupied and might still contain the deceased's personal papers and effects. There is also a continuing risk after the estate has been secured of, for example, identity theft. Taking into account the above issues, the council considers that there is no over-riding public interest in releasing the information requested. Any public interest would be best served by upholding the exemption under Section 31 of the Act as disclosure of the information would be likely to prejudice the prevention of crime by enabling or encouraging the commission of offences. 

Freedom of Information (FOI) and data protection 

Anyone can make an information request for recorded information held by the council.  The council will decide whether an information request should be dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) or The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).  You can find out more about this in Access to information and fees.