Goole Town Council scrap burial fees so bereaved parents can bury their children

Goole Town Council have scrapped burial fees for the parents of bereaved children at their budget setting meeting last week. The change applies to children under the age of 17. 

Cllr Keith Moore said: ‘Any parent who loses a child has enough grief without having the burden of finding the money for burial fees’.

‘We decided to provide this for our residents in these times of austerity and following a debate in parliament by MP Caroline Harris whose campaign for the government to bear the costs was defeated.’

The MP told parliament how she lost her 8-year-old son in a car accident before she became an MP and was only able to bury him because of the generosity of neighbours and by taking out a bank loan.

Cllr Moore said: ‘I believe Goole Town Council may be the only council in the East Riding to provide this for residents and may also be the only council in the country doing so.’