Co-op Funeralcare says government changes to its social fund, which helps people with funeral expenses, are “a start” but do not go far enough.
The changes to the Social Funeral Fund payment – which assists benefit or tax credit claimants with funeral costs – were announced in a written statement to Parliament by welfare minister Kit Malthouse.
He said the changes, which follow a public consultation last summer, will make it easier and simpler for people to get help with funeral expenses.
Coming into force on 2 April, the changes mean that claimants will be able to:
- get additional contributions towards funeral costs from charities, relatives and friends without them being deducted from the overall sum payable in support of funeral costs
- have additional time to make an application for support with funeral costs – extended from 3 to 6 months from the funeral date
- submit evidence in support of their claim electronically.
David Collingwood, director of funerals at Co-op Funeralcare, said: “Changes to the social fund are a start, but we believe there is more that could be done by Government on this to provide better support to the bereaved.
“The value of the payment itself still falls far short of the overall funeral charge, meeting only 30-40% of the average cost. While these changes will make it easier to submit evidence, in reality families will still face a difficult process in applying for support, and this can be overwhelming for them during a time of loss.
“We also believe there needs to be upfront transparency, so that families have additional reassurance and find out before the funeral whether they will receive support from the fund.”
