Scottish burial costs rise again as postcode lottery remains as stark as ever

The new report, The Cost of Saying Goodbye, details the rising cost of burials and cremations in all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities and reveals that the basic cost of dying in Scotland (i.e. not including undertakers fees, flowers etc) is now on average £1,273, marking a 10 per cent increase since last year.

The rise was recorded in all but two of the 32 Councils, meaning that a postcode lottery remains in place with the costs varying by over £2,000 between the most expensive and least expensive councils.

According to the data, the most expensive remains East Dunbartonshire, and the least expensive is still the Western Isles., with a disparity between the two of £2,091.

The highest increased charge since last year was Aberdeenshire at 42 per cent.

Meanwhile, the cost of cremations in Scotland hit an average of £601 - an increase of 5 per cent since last year.

The CAB also said that the number of Scots coming to it because of problems with funeral costs rose by 35 per cent over the same period.

CAS spokesman Fraser Sutherland said the charity had contacted all 32 Councils in Scotland to find out their funeral charges and identified “huge disparities” between the most expensive and the cheapest authorities.

He said: “We have seen a massive increase in the numbers of Scots coming to the CAB because they can’t afford to pay these huge costs. We have met with Scottish Government Ministers and will continue to work with other campaign groups to highlight these issues and campaign for change.”