Help with arranging a funeral (Public Health Funerals)

We can help arrange a funeral when someone dies within our district and there is no one else willing or able to make the necessary arrangements.

We will register the death and use one of our contracted funeral directors to arrange the funeral. Usually the person who has died will be cremated, unless this is at odds with their religious beliefs, cultural background or wishes. We will involve the deceased's family and friends in the arrangements as much as possible.

If the deceased has no money or estate we will assess to see if we can help pay for the funeral. However if they have left enough money or property to pay for the arrangements, we will recover the costs of the funeral from the estate. Please contact the Council for further advice regarding Public Health Funerals.

We are unable to accept part payment for funerals, or contribute to the costs of a funeral organised by someone else. We are not able to administer estates on behalf of others.

Help with funeral costs

If you need help to pay for the funeral of a family member and are in receipt of certain benefits you may be eligible to receive a Funeral Expenses Payment from the Department of Work and Pensions. How much you will get will depend on your circumstances, but it will not usually cover all the costs of a funeral. See:

Further information:

Any requests for the name, address and date of birth of the deceased are not disclosed for the following reasons:

  • Adur & Worthing Councils consider that the information sought is exempt from disclosure under section 31(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the basis that disclosure of the information would be likely to prejudice the prevention of crime by enabling or encouraging the commission of offences.
  • Adur & Worthing Councils consider that the information sought is accessible elsewhere (section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act) or is intended for future publication by the Treasury Solicitor's Department (of the Freedom of Information Act section 22) see Bona Vacantia - on the GOV.UK website

Further information regarding how to make a Freedom of Information request can be found on our:

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Page last updated: 14 October 2022

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