Public health funerals and arrangement of burials

Public health funerals

We sometimes arrange public health funerals (cremation or burial) when a person has died within North Lanarkshire, usually alone, unclaimed or without funds to provide for their own funeral. This can happen if Police Scotland notify us about an unclaimed body or if there are no traceable relatives, next of kin or executor to organise funeral arrangements for the deceased person.

Where it appears that no arrangements for the funeral of a deceased person have been made or are being made, using powers under Section 87 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016, our environmental health team may step in to make suitable arrangements for the funeral. This service is only provided in circumstances where no one else is arranging a funeral and the person has died within North Lanarkshire. The council will do what it can to trace next of kin and try to establish the religious or cultural beliefs or funeral preferences of the deceased.

We have powers to recover the cost of the funeral from the estate of the deceased.

Help with funeral costs

If the deceased's family want to arrange the funeral but cannot afford to pay they should contact Social Security Scotland. They can provide a Funeral Support Payment which helps pay for funeral costs if you live in Scotland.

The Bereavement Support Payment is a benefit paid to widows, widowers, or surviving civil partners who are bereaved on or after 6 April 2017. You can also call Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions.

• If the person is a child who, immediately before the death, was being looked after by another local authority, that other local authority must make arrangements for the remains to be buried or cremated.
• If the person is not a child and, immediately before the death, the person was in the care of, or receiving assistance from, another local authority, that other local authority must make arrangements for the remains to be buried or cremated.
• If the person died outwith the council's boundary you should contact the local authority where the person died.

Death registration

In Scotland, someone must register the death before a funeral may be arranged. In cases where the body is unclaimed, Environmental Health can register the death.