East Ayrshire Council has joined forces with six firms in a bid to combat funeral poverty.
The local authority has partnered with a number of funeral directors who will now be offering ‘Respectful Funerals’ to residents in the area.
Two years ago, the council’s award-winning bereavement services team launched respectful funerals, a new and innovative partnership, with Alexander Muir, Fosters and ML Williams funeral directors.
People using the scheme have saved over £280,000 in that time.
The number of funeral directors involved in the scheme has now doubled, providing residents in Kilmarnock and the Irvine Valley with a greater choice of dignified and respectful funeral services, each with significant savings on the Scottish average.
Council leader Douglas Reid said: “The respectful funeral service was created and developed by our bereavement services team. They recognised that the people of East Ayrshire, like the people of Scotland as a whole, faced a new challenge – funeral poverty.
“The team, with their funeral director partners, created a dignified and respectful funeral package that offered significant savings on the Scottish average and in just two short years have doubled the number of funeral directors involved in the scheme.
“We entered into this partnership hoping that we would make a difference to the lives of our residents and provide support to our communities during the hardest of times.”
The council’s respectful funeral partners are: Alexander Muir funeral directors, New Cumnock and Auchinleck; Ayrshire Simple Funerals, Kilmarnock; Balmoral funeral directors, Kilmarnock and Cumnock; Barry Whalen funeral directors, Patna; Fosters funeral directors, Kilmarnock and Cumnock; Wilson and Drury funeral services, Kilmarnock, Mauchline and Muirkirk.
Councillor Elena Whitham, cabinet member for housing and communities, added: “In the two years of the scheme, East Ayrshire residents who have booked a respectful funeral service have saved a total of £281,638 based on the average cost of a burial, as shown in the Royal London and Citizen Advice Scotland reports.
“This is quite remarkable and I hope that now the scheme has grown in size and reach to include six local funeral directors, our residents will see even greater savings.
“We’re particularly proud of the respectful funeral service, which leads the way in Scotland, pulling together both the public and private sector, and setting a new standard that is being adopted by Dundee City Council to ensure that bereavement services can be dignified, professional and affordable.”
More information about a respectful funeral service is available from East Ayrshire Council’s website or you can call (01563) 554775.
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