What cost the price of a good send off? The challenges for British state funeral policy

Liam Foster, Kate Woodthorpe

OAI: oai:purehost.bath.ac.uk:openaire_cris_publications/3370b8c7-c8ec-4359-a4bb-20f4efe3f7ba • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1332/175982712X657145

The period immediately after death has often been overlooked in British social policy, particularly in relation to funerals. The challenges presented by projected increases in the death rate owing to the ageing UK population mean that greater attention to state support for funding funerals is required. This article examines issues around current provision of state support for funerals via the Social Fund Funeral Payment, exploring potential failures in the way in which the payment meets people's needs. It concludes that considerable change is needed to state funeral policy to ensure that those from low-income backgrounds can have a 'good send-off'.