As a unitary authority, we have a duty under the provisions of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act, Section 46, to dispose of the body of any person dying within our administrative district in any case where it appears to us that no suitable funeral arrangements have been or are being made otherwise than by us.
Our Bereavement Services Team (part of our Corporate Services directorate) are responsible for carrying out this service:
Bereavement Services Team
Peterborough City Council
Peterborough Crematorium
Mowbray Road
Peterborough
PE6 7JE
Telephone: 01733 262 639
Email: crematorium@peterborough.gov.uk
Receiving a request to make funeral arrangements
We can receive a request to make funeral arrangements for a deceased person from various agencies:
- Coroner's Office (including death in Peterborough City Hospital A&E)
- Residential / nursing home
- Sheltered housing
- Social services
There may also be occasions when we receive a request directly from the family of the deceased person.
When we receive a referral, there may be circumstances when the property of the deceased person will require searching. The aims of a property search are:
- To locate a valid last will and testament
- To locate family contact details
- To secure valuable assets - cash, bank details, jewellery etc
If a will is located
If a will is located, the named executor will be contacted and advised of the death. If the executor is willing to take on the funeral arrangements, the property and keys will be handed to them. They will continue to make the arrangements.
If the executor refuses to deal with the funeral arrangements, they will be asked to provide a formal renunciation of the will. This will ideally be arranged at a solicitor's office. If the executor is not prepared to do this, a letter stating that they formally renounce the will, and their role in it, should be produced.
Property disposal
We are under no obligation to clear the property that the deceased person lived in. If the value of the goods within the property is likely to offset some, or all, of the funeral costs, then we may arrange with a property clearance company to receive a quote for the items of value. Ultimately, the clearance of the property becomes the responsibility of the property owner.
We will properly label and store in a safe place any other belongings we recover such as photographs and personal letters etc. This is in anticipation of any relative coming forward. We will store any property for a year and then safely dispose of it.
If we locate a relative as a result of our investigations, and that relative does not want to take on the funeral arrangements, we will inform them that we can make the arrangements and will claim any costs against the estate. We will require the relative to complete a form requesting that we:
- Make the funeral arrangements
- Register the death
- Deal with the funeral director
- Choose the date and time of the funeral
Funeral arrangements
Choosing between burial or cremation is an important part of arranging a Public Health Act Funeral. We can usually reach this decision by speaking to relatives or friends, or from information received in the property search. We will make every attempt to ascertain whether the deceased person had any religious beliefs or preferences regarding this decision.
Some forms of disposal are forbidden by some religions. It should be noted that Section 46 (3) of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 states that:
'An authority shall not cause a body to be cremated under subsection (1) or (2) above where they have reason to believe that cremation would be contrary to the wishes of the deceased.'
Once we have made a decision as to the type of funeral, we will make arrangements with the contracted funeral director. If the funeral is for cremation, we will hold the service at an off-peak time. If the funeral is a burial, this will take place at a time convenient for the funeral director.
Once we have agreed the funeral date and time, we will inform and invite all contacts, family, friends, scheme managers, nursing home managers etc.
We will make arrangements to register the death of the deceased person and purchase one death certificate. The death certificate will allow us to contact financial institutions to recover the funeral costs. If a person would like a copy of the death certificate, they can purchase this from the Register Office directly.
We do not provide flowers for the service. We will only place an obituary notice in the newspaper if it is to assist in locating relatives.
The cortege / hearse will come straight from the contracted funeral director to the funeral location (crematorium or cemetery) and there will be no limousines. The service will be for no more than 30 minutes. We invite friends and relatives to attend. In some cases, we will involve them in choosing the service content and music.
The estate
We are empowered to seek to recover all our costs from the estate, including a fixed charge for officer's time, use of resources and expenses. Currently, the fixed fee is £350 and we review it annually.
Where there are no relatives and no will and the residual estate (after funeral costs) is less than £500, we are able to retain the residual amount. We do not have to refer the case to the Treasury Solicitor.
Where there are no relatives and no will and the residual estate (after funeral costs) exceeds £500, we will refer the estate to the Treasury Solicitor (Bona Vacantia).
We can only refer the estate to the Treasury Solicitor if there is no will and no entitled relatives.
Where there are entitled relatives, no will and a large estate, they will be encouraged to apply for Letters of Administration. Only once Letters of Administration have been granted can we release any belongings that we are holding, and this is only after the production of the sealed grant.
Where there is a will, even if the executor refused to make the funeral arrangements, the executor will be encouraged to deal with the estate. If the estate is large, the executor will be required to apply for Grant of Probate. Only once probate has been granted can we release any belongings that we are holding, and this is only after the production of the sealed grant.
Where there is a residual estate and the relatives, or executor, are reluctant to administer, legal advice may be sought from our legal department.