Christmas In The Good Old Days
ChatterBank4 mins ago
Deceased Relative
My wife has just been contacted by a tracing company about a long lost relative ( uncle ) that died about a month ago. They say that there has been no funeral as there was no next of kin. They were engaged by the council - presumably so they don't have to pay for a funeral. Would the council wait forever or do they give up after a period and do a public health funeral.
Answers
1 to 11 of 11
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by interele. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
The law:
"It shall be the duty of a local authority to cause to be buried or cremated the body of any person who has died or been found dead in their area, in any case where it appears to the authority that no suitable arrangements for the disposal of the body have been or are being made otherwise than by the authority"
- s.46(1), Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984
https:/
'Good practice guidance', provided by HM Government to local authorities:
https:/
See, in particular, Section 2 about trying to contact next of kin, and 'Timescales', within Section 7.
"It shall be the duty of a local authority to cause to be buried or cremated the body of any person who has died or been found dead in their area, in any case where it appears to the authority that no suitable arrangements for the disposal of the body have been or are being made otherwise than by the authority"
- s.46(1), Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984
https:/
'Good practice guidance', provided by HM Government to local authorities:
https:/
See, in particular, Section 2 about trying to contact next of kin, and 'Timescales', within Section 7.
Bona Vacantia
The Bona Vacantia Division of the Government Legal Department administers the solvent estates of people domiciled in England or Wales who appear to have died without leaving a valid will or relatives entitled to share in their estate in priority to the Crown. Where local authorities believe this is the case, cases should be referred as soon as possible.
After an estate referral has been accepted and advertised on their website for approximately 90 days, if no entitled relatives have come forward, Bona Vacantia will then be able to receive invoices detailing a breakdown of any funeral and admin costs, along with confirmation if any of these have already been settled, for example from the bank.
The Bona Vacantia Division of the Government Legal Department administers the solvent estates of people domiciled in England or Wales who appear to have died without leaving a valid will or relatives entitled to share in their estate in priority to the Crown. Where local authorities believe this is the case, cases should be referred as soon as possible.
After an estate referral has been accepted and advertised on their website for approximately 90 days, if no entitled relatives have come forward, Bona Vacantia will then be able to receive invoices detailing a breakdown of any funeral and admin costs, along with confirmation if any of these have already been settled, for example from the bank.
There are various firms who will try to trace relatives but that is more likely when the firm thinks there is a large enough estate to make the commision they charge to make the claim on the relatives' behalf enough to be worth their time and expense.
If this is your wife's uncle and she had been trying to find him and there is money to pay for a funeral, surely you would want to have some involvement?
If this is your wife's uncle and she had been trying to find him and there is money to pay for a funeral, surely you would want to have some involvement?
1 to 11 of 11
