When a person dies within the London Borough of Brent and there are no kin, relatives, or friends, willing or able to arrange the funeral, we are required, under Section 46, Public Health (Control of Diseases) Act 1984, to register the death and arrange the funeral.
A public health funeral is only carried out when it appears that no other agency or persons are willing or able to make suitable arrangements for the disposal of the body.
Where a person has died outside the London Borough of Brent, the funeral arrangements will be the responsibility of the local authority of the area where they died, even if they lived within Brent.
Where a funeral is already booked or has taken place, we are unable to become involved.
Brent Funeral Service
The London Borough of Brent uses its own in-house funeral service. Anyone instructing funeral directors other than our own, will be directly responsible for any costs incurred. We will not cover these costs.
If you anticipate that Brent council will need to take responsibility for the arrangement and funeral of a deceased person within Brent, please contact our funeral directors on 0208 937 2390 or visit the Brent Funeral Service website.
Executor responsibilities
Executors of the deceased’s will are responsible for administrating the estate and organising a funeral if there is a valid will and no next of kin.
If the deceased made a will, the council may not become involved in the undertaking of the funeral arrangements unless the executor revokes the will or it’s no longer valid. If a will is found, the Local Authority may contact the executor to find out their intentions.
Estate search and cost recovery
Brent Council has the right, where possible, to recover funeral and relevant administration costs from the estate of the deceased. This may involve accessing their bank accounts, savings, investments, or selling personal belongings. To do this, we may need to enter and search the property of the person who has passed, to identify assets and gather necessary paperwork or items of value.
As part of this process, we may also look for details of relatives, a will, funeral wishes, faith, or bank details. While we understand this is difficult, we ask that family and friends don't remove any items themselves.
In some cases, we will receive a referral for a Public Health funeral and have no kin information available to us. Brent Council reserves the right to refer individual cases to a genealogist company in an attempt to trace the deceased’s kin.
What happens next?
Once we have confirmed, that we are responsible for a funeral, we will either arrange a cremation or a simple burial (usually within a common grave that may hold up to three, often, unrelated individuals)
The type of funeral held is based upon the religious beliefs or wishes of the deceased, If these are unknown, a simple cremation will be held.
Brent Funeral Service will provide a simple but dignified and respectful service, including bearers, a coffin, and transport of the deceased to the crematorium or cemetery. You will be able to attend the funeral if you wish. We do no not provide transport to the funeral for any mourners.
It is important to note that in allowing Brent Council to make the funeral arrangement, both family and close friends are relinquishing responsibility for, and therefore control of the funeral to the local authority (this includes the location, date and time).
Cremated remains of the deceased will, in due time, be scattered in the gardens of remembrance unless specific instructions are found among the deceased's possessions or in a will.
We can arrange to release the ashes to a relative or a person nominated by the relative. If a family member wants to keep the cremated remains, they must collect them from the crematorium.
Additional costs
The London Borough of Brent will not cover additional costs for a hearse, flowers, grave marking, wake, or memorial events. These cannot be added or funded privately.
Anyone wishing to place a marker, plaque, or headstone, should contact the relevant cemetery to ask about permission. Any related costs, will be the responsibility of the person making the arrangements.
A death in a hospital or care/nursing home
If someone passes away while in the hospital, the NHS Hospital Trust is responsible for locating relatives and arranging the funeral where necessary. For further information and advice on this, please contact the relevant hospital’s bereavement team.
If a person has died in a care or nursing home, the home should first confirm that there are no relatives to undertake the funeral and that no arrangements have or are being made. In such cases, the Parish Liaison Team should be contacted to investigate whether a Public Health Funeral is required.
If the care or nursing home makes any initial arrangements for the funeral or collection of the deceased without first consulting the Parish Liaison Team, Brent Council will not be liable any costs.
Get help with funeral costs
If you are in receipt of benefits and need help to pay for a funeral you’re arranging, you may be able to apply for a Funeral Expenses Payment. To find out more, visit GOV.UK.
Public health funeral records
View a historic list of all public health funerals undertaken by the London Borough of Brent.