Today, Robert Bush of Legacy Funerals received a 20-year prison sentence at Hull Crown Court after pleading guilty to a series of offences, including 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial of a body.
These crimes should never have happened, but there is nothing in place to stop them. For bereaved people, this is simply not good enough.
Lindesay Mace, co-manager of QSA’s Down to Earth service, comments:
“Our thoughts are with the families impacted by the terrible actions of Robert Bush. Today’s sentencing shows that regulating funeral directors cannot be a can the government continually kicks down the road. While many companies deliver good care, bereaved people are being left at risk of harm. Bereavement is hard enough: the government must act now, so that when we lose someone, the care they receive from a funeral director is not an additional source of distress.”
Despite repeated recommendations for urgent statutory, independent regulation, going back over five years, the UK government has still not even set out how it will prevent crimes like Bush's from happening again. Quaker Social Action (QSA) calls on the government to regulate funeral directors to protect bereaved people.
Most people will arrange a funeral at some point in their lives and are being asked, at what can be the most vulnerable of times, to put their trust in individuals and businesses with few safeguards. QSA's Down to Earth service supports bereaved people struggling with funeral costs and some have reported experiencing a worrying lack of care from funeral directors.
The current system of self-regulation is ineffective, inappropriate and offers little reassurance to bereaved people who deserve to feel confident in the funeral director they choose.
Funerals are a significant expense, which increasing numbers of people simply cannot afford. Current state financial support is inadequate, further limiting the options available. When people have less options, they can feel less able to challenge bad practice, exploitation and harm.
QSA wants to see the UK government, the new Prime Minister, and the new Secretary of State for Health Yvette Cooper, take this situation seriously. All funeral directors - and anyone else transporting and managing deceased people – should be registered, licensed, held to mandatory high standards, and be subject to regular, independent inspections. Government must act now to provide safeguards for all bereaved consumers, and ensure the funeral sector serves and protects everyone.
If you're struggling with the cost of a funeral, QSA's Down to Earth service is here to help. Please visit the guides on our website for information on how to reduce funeral costs and raise money towards them. If you need more tailored help, you can call our helpline on 020 8983 5055, email downtoearth@qsa.org.uk, or refer yourself, a family member or friend. If you're a bereavement professional looking to refer a client, you can do so here.