Preston City Council set to freeze fees for burials and cremations in Preston

The charges for a raft of services provided by the authority usually increase each April, but the town hall has decided to freeze those levied for use of its cemeteries and crematorium. It says the move is in acknowledgement of the continuing cost-of-living pressures faced by residents.

The cost of a standard burial will remain at £634, while a cremation will continue to be £872 – the same as the current financial year.

Cllr Amber Afzal, cabinet member for planning and regulation at Preston City Council, said: “We all realise the struggle many people continue to face as the rising cost of living shows no signs of slowing down.

>» Join our new WhatsApp Community to get the latest news and top stories from across Lancashire directly to your phone.

“In recognition of this and, at what would be a very difficult time for families, members took the decision not to apply the annual inflationary rise for our burial and cremations services from April 2024.

“We hope this goes some way to show the council is committed to helping our residents as much as possible, sometimes at the expense of also much-needed income into the authority,” Cllr Afzal said.

Last year, the city council set out plans to create a new cemetery and increase capacity at Preston’s crematorium.

>» Sign up for our free newsletters now