BBCThe introduction has been criticized by residents and a funeral director by a council of a so -called “fat tax” for broad buried plots in its cemetery.
In the Danscort Cemetery in Tatenehall, Wolverhampton, it will cost families £ 2,700. If they need to buy a 6 feet wide plot, a 20% increase at a standard 5 feet grave cost.
Ross Hictton, director of the funeral, said the decision was “really acceptable or fair” and called it “fat”.
A spokesman for the city of the Volwarhampton Council said that it was responding to the increase in demand for big tombs with a obese rate of 33.3% in the city compared to the national average of 25.9%, According to a 2021 survey,
Rosmery McLaren, a resident of Wolverhampton, said he felt that this step is “discrimination, it is not acceptable”.
“Any person like me who is a little bigger, is being charged [more] Because I am fat, “he said.
The decision to create a new dedicated section in Dancort for large coffins was taken by councilors in May.
Before approval, the authority contacted 25 funeral directors, who asks for their views to serve the city and 10 responded with an objection, “said a spokesman.
But Mr. Hictton, from the Hictton Family Funeral Directors, an independent company with seven branches in the West Midlands, consulted that “meaningless” and “did not include the public”.
“Essentially it’s a fat tax,” he said.
“You know that people have paid in the system throughout their lives, have paid their council tax to Wolverhampton Council, and they have to be told [the grave is] Due to the size of their loved one 20% more, it is not really acceptable or fair. ,
Another Volwarhampton resident, Selena Harris, who lives in the city with his young family, was worried about how people would tolerate it.
“It does not seem right, especially in a deprived area.” He said.
Ms. Harris believed that the council introduced additional fees ” [try] And start the cost again, as the councils are struggling at the moment “.
The council denied the claim.
His spokesperson said they were doing so because it was needed and additional costs “showed increased costs in providing” including additional soil disposal “.
“Many other local councils, including Birmingham and Walsals, charge high fees for large tombs”, said, the cost for wide buried plots in Wolverhampton was the same or cheaper than neighboring officials.
The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors surveyed their members to ask whether their local councils have charged more for comprehensive plots.
165 replied, a quarter said yes.
The BBC contacted 27 local authorities at West Midlands and more than a third said that they charged more for widespread buried plots.
However, not everyone spoke to the BBC, was against the idea.
Russell Smallman of Calcroft said: “These days there is a lot of obesity.
“a lot of [people] Bring it on yourself and they are not interested in doing anything about it, so I don’t know if you can really sympathize. ,
Mr. Hictton, who is also the chairman of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, said he spoke to other funeral firms.
A firm asked the council if a couple wanted to be buried together, but one was already in a standard grave in Dancort and the other needed a widespread conspiracy in the bariatric section.
The BBC saw an email to the directors of the funeral, stating that the families would have to consider the “bariatric partner to be buried elsewhere, to buy a second grave or to ensure the first partner to ensure that they could be buried simultaneously”.
“This is really shocking, clearly the local authority has not taken into consideration family sentiments here,” said Mr. Hictton.
“It is just an additional stress, burden and concern that a family should not really go.”
The council did not particularly respond to that point, but in a statement to the BBC, his spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensure that our mourning services provide dignity and access to all families.”
He said “while space allows, [families] Still will be able to place large coffins at the end of the existing rows at an additional cost at the end of the existing rows in Dancort “.
