Praise for decision to stop child funeral fees

A mother who lost her son, Ethan, just before his fourth birthday in 2013, has welcomed the decision by Cambridge City Council to scrap funeral service fees for children and young people under 16.

Nicky Massey spoke of the difficult position many bereaved parents found themselves in after the death of a child, and the additional burden of managing the financial cost of a funeral, at the council’s budget meeting in February.

She praised the support of Cllr Anna Smith and city council officers for their work towards waiving the fees last week.

She said: “In 2013 I lost my son just before his fourth birthday. The costs I faced for burial fees were a real concern at the time.

“I was a single parent carer reliant on benefits and I did not know where money would be coming from, and what my future without my youngest child would be.

“While most funeral directors already forgo payment for a child’s funeral, this hasn’t been the case for burial or cremation fees which grieving parents still have to face, and which can be substantial.

“I fully support the campaign to get the Government to create a fund for child burial fees from the Labour MP, Carolyn Harris, who also lost a young child and struggled to pay.

“So far the Government has refused to step up.”