Burial and Cremation fees held to ease cost of living squeeze

The council collects fees and charges for a range of different services, such as bereavement, parking and planning.

These amounts are reviewed annually as part of the council's budget setting process in time for the start of the financial year each April.

In recognition of the continuing cost-of-living squeeze, Members decided not to apply an inflationary rise to fees for burial and cremation services from April 2024, as would normally be the case. The Council is committed to exploring options for the longer term provision of crematorium and burial facilities and the associated fees to fund this important service.

Councillor Amber Afzal, Cabinet member for planning and regulation at Preston City Council, said:

"We all realise the struggle many people continue to face as the rising cost of living shows no signs of slowing down.

"In recognition of this and, at what would be a very difficult time for families, Members took the decision not to apply the annual inflationary rise for our burial and cremations services from April 2024.

"We hope this goes some way to show the Council is committed to helping our residents as much as possible, sometimes at the expense of also much-needed income into the authority."

More information

• A full list of Fees and Charges for 2024/25 can be found on Preston City Council website.
• Preston City Council actively applies and prioritises the principles of Community Wealth Building wherever applicable and appropriate. Community Wealth Building is an approach which aims to ensure the economic system builds wealth and prosperity for everyone.