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Public Health Funerals, 2000-2020
England, UK

Published: April 9, 2020
Total records: 5,735

Compiled by: Multiple England councils

public health funerals england

Background

Public Health Funerals are funerals that were financed by local public health authorities throughout England. This occurs when someone dies without any other living persons willing to administer that person's estate. These are often homeless persons, unidentified human remains, and persons who died in hospice care.

In many cases, there are living next of kin who were notified of a person's death, but are unwilling to get involved, often out financial hardship, or long-standing feuds.

The Public Health Act of 1984 places the burden of responsibility on the local governing council where the person died. The council researches next of kin, and tries to get them to take responsibility. If unsuccessful, the council arranges for the person's funeral, and uses the decedent's estate to compensate for the expenses. In most of the cases, there is not enough to compensate, and tax funds are used. There are however, a minority of cases where the decedent holds a sizeable estate. Any left over funds from the funeral is transferred to the Treasury Solicitor, Bona Vacantia.

Public Health Funeral Records

Most Public Health Funeral records are made public because these matters are generally perceived as financial in nature, involving public funds, and also because there may be other living relatives or creditors who may lay claim to the person's estate.

However, not all local governing councils have made these records public. These councils require persons to contact them directly and describe their relationship to the decedent, or their financial relationship.

Interment.net was able to aquire many Public Health Funeral records from local governing councils that have placed these records into their "open data" policy...

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