Families struggling to pay for funerals are facing rising prices across the country, helping councils to net a £55m surplus from cremations and cemetery burials in 2019, the Observer has learned. Surpluses are expected to rise significantly this year as a result of the Covid-19 death toll. Figures from more than 160 authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, obtained under Freedom of Information requests and seen by the Observer, show an average rise in fees this year of £26 – twice the rate of inflation. The biggest increase was imposed by Trafford council, a hike of £131, from £704 to £835. Birmingham city council, the UK’s biggest local authority, made the largest surplus from cremations and burials, totalling £3.46m. It charges £875 for a cremation, and an extra £420 for funerals which overrun their time. Worthing was the most expensive council that provided data, with a cremation charge of £995 – an increase of £100 on 2019. The lowest charge – £535 – was in south-west Middlesex. Councils say that surpluses help recoup the cost of investing in equipment and upgrading it to meet new environmental standards. A spokesperson for Birmingham city council said: “The operation of crematoria is a very expensive business. Investment is required in new cremators and the required pollution control technology, which can cost in excess of £1m. This is in addition to routine maintenance.” A spokesman for Worthing council said other local authorities which did not provide figures charged higher fees. “We have invested heavily in exceptional facilities and a beautiful environment. We work hard with our families to provide a sensitive and comforting experience and are proud of the service we provide.” Almost a quarter of the local authorities that provided data do not offer direct cremations, in which a body is cremated without a ceremony or mourners, allowing families to hold memorial services at a time and in a place of their own choosing. Another 19 offer direct cremation slots but do not advertise this. Direct cremations are cheaper, averaging £482 this year compared with £776 for traditional cremations. Funeral poverty campaigners say direct cremations are an effective way of cutting costs for low-income families. Down to Earth, a Quaker social action organisation, is calling for a cap on the cost of funerals, saying nearly 74,000 people struggled to pay for a funeral last year. Lindesay Mace, its acting manager, said: “We see the impact of funeral poverty every day. It pushes people into debt and robs them of the mental space to grieve for their loved ones.” The Competition and Markets Authority is reviewing cremation fees as part of an investigation into the funeral industry, which could recommend price capping to stop above-inflation rises. Its provisional findings are due to be published this summer. Steven Cains, founder of Harbour, a funeral company which organises direct cremations, and which obtained the data, said the cost of cremations had risen far beyond inflation. “Given the lack of competition and the barriers to entry for new crematoria, more people are choosing direct cremation. Direct cremations account for one in 15 funerals, and we expect that figure to continue to rise as more people become disillusioned with expensive and hurried traditional funeral services,” he said. Highest known council cremation charges Worthing £995 Milton Keynes £960 Peterborough £958 Wakefield/Pontefract £937 Bath £934 Inverness £931 Cheltenham £915 Plymouth £915 Dudley £912 Leeds £911