North West one of cheapest places in UK to die

The North West is one of the cheapest places to die, yet one in 11 residents struggle financially to give family a “proper” goodbye, according to the latest Total Cost of Dying report by Sun Life Direct.

In spite of a fall of 8% in the total cost of dying in the region from last year, almost one in 10 say they are struggling to find the money to pay for funeral costs as 41% said their relative had made no provision, leaving them to pick up the financial strain.

Those that struggle are being forced to find an average of £1,448 for the funeral and associated costs, causing such distress that 65% were forced to take money from their savings and 36% needed to use credit. Of those, 18% were forced to put money on a credit card, 12% borrowed money from family and friends and 6% needed to take money from a loan provider.

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While the average cost of a funeral in the UK is now £2,857, in the North West it is £2,428. And add that to other death-related costs such as a headstone and flowers, the total cost of dying is a whopping £6,068.

Worryingly, those that most needed it weren’t always aware of the Social Fund: almost half did not know government assistance was available. And of those that applied for support from the Social Fund (around a third of all financial strugglers), 80% got rejected.

Sun Life Direct has created guidance to support friends and family facing financial concerns when saying goodbye to their loved ones and key areas for consideration are:

Speak to loved ones about your wishes (23% of those in the North West did not even leave a will)

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Make a provision for funeral costs in your will (41% had not)

The government-funded Social Fund helps people on a low income with the essential costs of a funeral. However, few know about it, and those who do apply may not be successful: of the 30% of locals who applied, only 6% were successful

Your local council may have a provision for support in bereavement costs.

Dying Matters offers information about planning for your death, including the difficult matter of how to start a conversation about dying.

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If you need support beyond financial, services such as Cruse and SupportLine offer counselling and guidance on coping with bereavement.

A spokesman for Sun Life Direct said: “It’s a traumatic enough time when saying goodbye to those closest to you, without having to face almost devastating financial and emotional effects from having to find funeral costs too.

“Over 1.5 million people in the UK face a major bereavement each year and as almost half the population have made no provision for their funeral, loved ones are left facing severe financial difficulties. It may seem hard to do, but it is sensible to bring up the subject of funeral planning with your family so you won’t be leaving your loved ones with the emotional distress at having to borrow or ‘cut corners’, as they say goodbye to a cherished family member or friend.”

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