Funeral directors have met and are seeking legal advice about the newly introduced upfront fees from Tipperary County Council for burials.
In a statement to Tipp FM, the council say that they have bad debts of over €130,000 and that the situation is ‘unsustainable’.
While they added that they do not wish to add to the distress of grieving families, Cashel undertaker James Devitt told Tipp Today that is exactly what they are doing.
“It’s not my wish to bury someone in St Michael’s Cemetery or Cormac’s Cemetery, or indeed have somebody cremated, that’s not my wish – that’s the instructions we receive from the family.
“So, the family are liable for the expenses, and the families know that and nobody has a problem with that, but they have to be given time to get their finances in order at the time of a death.
“It’s the most devastating thing that can happen to a family is for a loved one to pass away.”
He added that they normally pay for a grave opening on a family’s behalf, but now they want the undertaker to pay for the grave space and burial before they get paid, which James Devitt says is not viable for small businesses like funeral directors.
In the council statement, the council said funeral directors “have the option of providing a service on behalf of their clients that does not involve advance payment of fees and charges for burials, if they enter into a legal agreement with the council.”
James Devitt said that entering into a legal agreement with the council is not something they are currently considering.
Tipperary County Council have also drafted new Burial Ground Bye Laws for the regulation and control of activities in council cemeteries, which will be put on display for public consultation and the issue will be up for discussion at next Monday’s full council meeting.
