Families burying relatives miles away in Nuneaton and Bedworth to afford plots half the price

Pressure is mounting on the precious few plots available. Credit: BPM Media

Some families in the Midlands are choosing to have their loved ones buried miles away from their home, due to cheaper burial costs.

Nuneaton and Bedworth has become a 'burial tourism' hotspot because of its cheap rates.

Families from towns and cities much further afield, including Coventry, are opting to bury relatives in the borough which offers rates at less than half the price.

In Coventry, it costs around  £2,567.50 for an adult plot lease of 75 years - but in Nuneaton and Bedworth, around nine miles away, it costs around £1,100 for 50 years.

Some families are choosing to bury their loved ones for around half the price in Nuneaton and Bedworth. Credit: PA Images

Spaces for burials in Nuneaton and Bedworth are now running low with new land yet to be identified.

It's now being proposed by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council to increase the burial rates as part of the upcoming budget, as few plots remain.

The decision has been made in hopes that the borough council's rates are comparable to other areas and that the reliance on the taxpayer to subsidise this is reduced.

Last year, burial fees and charges were frozen but, prior to this, there had been some rises, including in 2018 when some charges were increased by almost 30 per cent.

Under the latest proposals, changes to the burial rates include the following:

  • Exclusive Burial Rights - 50 Years rising by 43 per cent from £758 to £1,087.00

  • Reservation of a Burial Plot (Marston Lane only) rising by 43 per cent from £758 to £1,087

  • Grave Depth for One Person to rise by 21 per cent from £582 to £705

  • Grave Depth for Up to Two Persons to rise by 60 per cent from £582 to £931

  • Grave Depth for Three Persons (Oaston Rd only) to rise by 47 per cent from £773 to £1,140

  • Muslim Internment - Weekdays to rise by 46 per cent from £582 to £847.

  • Muslim Internment - Saturday to rise by 35 per cent from £836 to £1,126

  • Muslim Internment - Sunday & Bank Holidays to rise from 23 per cent from £1,091 to £1,346

  • Exclusive Cremated Remains Rights to rise by 40 per cent from £386 to £539

The plans to increase burial fees and charges form part of the council's proposed budget for 2023/24. The budget will be debated at the crucial annual Council Tax setting meeting, which will be held at the Town Hall from 6pm on Monday (February 13).