The Government has pledged £2m of funding to support families affected by the investigation into Hull firm Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
East Riding Council and Hull City Council have previously promised to support the families, following the launch of a major police investigation into the business last month, amid concerns for the care of the deceased. A total of 35 bodies were later removed from premises belonging to Legacy in Hessle Road.
Part of the funding package will also cover costs incurred by the authorities during the work on the Legacy case, which has included inspecting every local funeral director.
It is understood that funds will cover exceptional additional costs that have arisen from the investigation and are approved by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The authorities completed their visits to funeral directors last week and concluded that the incident being investigated at Legacy was not reflective of the wider industry.
Julia Weldon, the public health lead for Hull, has said that the authority has offered to discuss funeral arrangements with affected families, who would not have to worry about the costs. In a joint statement, the councils said:
“We welcome this commitment from the Government to work with us and assist with additional costs incurred as part of our response. This should enable us to provide families with the support they need at a very difficult time.
“We would remind everyone of the dedicated support line which will ensure people are directed to the advice and support they require.”
Anyone wishing to contact the support line for help should call: 0808 281 1136.
Meanwhile, efforts to wind up Legacy as a company have stalled. Hull City Council had previously said it was owed £51,508.46 by Legacy, including in unpaid burial and cremation fees., while East Riding Council was owed £2,000.
However, the Hull authority has been unable to serve a winding-up petition under insolvency rules because it has been unable to reach the director of the company.
Humberside Police cordoned off three funeral homes run by Legacy, two in Hull and one on Beverley, on Wednesday, March 6. Last week, Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin said the force would be unable to identity human ashes recovered from the site. He said the force had been in contact with more than 700 families to offer them advice and support.
Last month, a 46-year-old man and 23-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position. They were later released on bail.
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