Burial fees in Devon are on the rise, making it more expensive to die in the area. East Devon and Mid Devon are leading the charge with significant hikes.
Exeter: It looks like dying in Devon is about to get pricier. East Devon is planning to raise burial fees by 10%. That means the cost will jump from £491 to £540.
And if you want exclusive rights to a burial plot, that fee will also go up. It’ll rise from £870 to £957. If you don’t pay for exclusivity, you might end up sharing your spot.
For an extra £200, you can extend your rights for another 10 years. Sounds like a deal, right? But compared to Mid Devon, it’s still a bargain. Their fees are set to increase from £1,460 to £1,495.
In Mid Devon, if you want a memorial stone for 30 years, that’ll cost you £1,580, going up to £1,675. And in Exeter, the current burial fee is £1,397, but it doubles if you want to be alone in your grave for 30 years.
These fees are likely to rise too, but we won’t know the new rates until March. In places like Mid Devon, you have to pay both the burial fee and the exclusive rights fee if you want to avoid sharing.
Once you’ve paid for exclusive rights in Mid Devon, you only pay the burial fee for any future burials in that plot. But you can’t reserve a plot in advance; they say it has to be for an imminent burial.
Plymouth charges £1,420 for a grave with exclusive rights, while it’s £935 without. These could also go up in April. Some councils have different rates for residents and non-residents.
Torridge District Council charges £1,181 for a burial for locals, but it’s £1,575 for non-residents. North Devon has a similar setup, with rates at £1,408 for non-residents and £704 for locals.
All these councils are looking to increase their income, and it’s not just burial fees. Parking charges and other fees are likely to rise too. Last year, a government grant for rural areas was cut, adding to the financial strain.
With rising costs from National Insurance increases, councils are feeling the pinch. The government has promised that no council will see a drop in their core spending power next year, considering any tax hikes.
