Councils introduce ‘death tax’

Suffolk Coastal District Council has raised the cost of a 25-year burial plot by almost £1,000, in a move which the local government minister, Brandon Lewis, has branded a ‘death tax on grieving families’.

The increase means the price of an exclusive burial plot will rise from £460 to £1,335, while the cost of burying ashes has increased from £230 to £1,260, more than five times the original sum.

The London Borough of Lambeth has also seen an increase, with a 38 per cent hike on the cost of cremation, which in turn followed a 41 per cent increase in 2011.

According to Suffolk Coastal District Council leader Ray Herring, the increase was a correction following years of under charging.

Image: Mr. Johnson