Grieving families unable to attend their loved one’s funeral on the Isle of Wight could soon be charged £55 to watch the service remotely.
A fee for the discretionary service is included in the Isle of Wight Council’s proposed budget for 2022/23 and it could be introduced from April.
The Isle of Wight Council has been offering the private online streaming of funerals since May 2020, when it installed a camera and software to do so. It became crucial when the number of mourners allowed to attend was restricted, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was offered for free.
According to the papers, £30,000 will be made from the live streaming charge, helping meet the £3 million savings required in the budget.
The leading Alliance group argues their proposal will help cover the cost of running and maintaining the system, as well as the licenses required by the streaming video host. They say the £55 fee proposed is in line with the national average, although other councils such as Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) and Rochdale in Manchester charge a £30 fee for the optional funeral webcast.
An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said:
“Most crematoriums offer this service charge, on average, at £90 per live stream so our proposed fee is well below this.”
According to recent data from SunLife, the average cost of a funeral is £4,054.
My God how low can you get, at a time when families are grieving you want to charge them to watch the service remotely, what planet are you on, how many more stupid ideas have you got lined up. The council should be ashamed of themselves.
Now theres a tax on grief.
Can this council drop any lower, making even more money out of sad and difficult situations,many struggle with even paying in first place now ,it may prevent those unable to attend the chance to say goodbye, what licences ? Let mourners film it themselves via social media if they want. Council will waste that £30,000 on a consultant for a week to advise in carpet colour or desk layout or maybe another electric car.
I’m surprised the IW Council haven’t introduced an admission fee to mourners attending a funeral at the Crematorium. Hope I haven’t spoken to soon. Completely heartless, and nothing surprises me any more with our money grabbing Council.
Plus parking tickets with regular calls from a warden. I hope the figure was including VAT.
Keep digging that hole dear council
How on earth does the IW Council, or any Council for that matter, justify charging grieving families £55 simply to switch a webcam at a funeral on?
And then to tell us how much they plan to make from the operation is just sick.
What a load of utter rubbish this council is. How proud I am that I am nothing to do with them, except for the money that they wrench from me monthly.
I had the misfortune to watch, on line from the IOW Crematorium, the funeral of a dear friend. The quality was disgusting and, to cap it all, the brains that run the place failed to switch the camera off so you could see a member of staff acting stupid for all to see.
Another fine example of our fantastic (not) council.
Capitalising on grief to gain a tiny new stream of income is a very low move. That’s a lot of money for some Island people to find. For the sake of a measly £30k, the council would have more credibility if it saved money elsewhere and provided the stream free of charge.
Yes. How much salary is paid to the heads of so many failing departments of the council?? If you can’t do the job then pay someone £20k per annum not to do the job. Why pay £60k+ for someone to be useless??
I am actually lost for words at this. They have shown their contempt for the grieving, now people should show their contempt for the council. They don’t care about you, even at your most vulnerable.
Money grabbing Council hang your heads in shame charging bereaved a penny let alone £55. Us islanders are paying for your mistakes e.g the floating bridge in our council tax rise, isn’t this enough. Charging bereaved is the lowest of the lowest
What a truly sick idea from the council. Rip off people when they just don’t need it. Can we have live streaming from within county hall so we can see what actual work is being done, or maybe the views of people drinking coffee and having a nice conversation about how cushy their jobs are would not be in keeping with what they want us all to believe.
Vile bottom feeding. You disgust me IOW council. absolutely incredible. I really have heard it all now. Christ what a sh*t show.
It costs £159.90 a year for upto 300 participants on a zoom business licence – what planet are this thieving council on.
rinsing people whilst grieving – low, very low.
all it takes is the crematorium, to have a pc set up to view, with mourners sent a link – it isn’t difficult and no where near £30k – thieves
Not only are we destroying the this god given paradise it seems were bent on destroying the dignity of death
This crem is one of the most expensive in the country their fees are just over £1000 for a 45 min slot some crems are only £500 and now they’re trying to get more money out of people !
Absolutely disgusting Isle of Wight Council your a disgrace words just fail me
Please can you all remember those affected by recent deaths and stop upsetting us – my husband died suddenly (not Covid). Because the IOW had paid for the streaming service. for which we will be eternally grateful Family members (and friends) were able watch his farewell, from daughter in Australia, to heavily pregnant grand-daughter. The Council have to make savings, this facility shouldn’t be one of them. No-one has to take up the opportunity to use this service but please think of those to whom it’ll mean so much. Thank you
I dont know why people would dislike your comment, it does of course represent the other side of the argument. One which the council would cling on to as a valid reason for the charge.
I think the point being made here is why should people in the midst of grief be subjected to what is little more than money grabbing by an organisation that has very few morals and is sinking lower and lower.
The simple answer is to not have a funeral. My wife and I are opting to have just a cremation. Any money left after the cremation only fee can be spent by the family in whatever way they think is a fitting tribute to us.
same here.crem only…me partner and my dad!
Same here…Direct crem prepaid already me, partner …and dad!
Same for me too.
I know they say that the only certainties in life are death and taxes but ripping off the grieving like this is a real low blow.
Hopefully the tabloids will pick up on councils doing this and hold them to account.