Public health funerals

A public health funeral is a funeral for people who have died with no known next of kin, bona vacantia estates and estates which have been referred to the Treasury Solicitor, or Duchy of Lancaster or Cornwall.

Details of public health funerals are updated on a quarterly basis.

Public health funerals in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees

Date of death	Gender	Type of funeral	Next of Kin	Treasury Solicitors
3 January 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
15 January 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
18 January 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
24 January 2023	Male	Cremation	No	No
24 February 2023	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
6 March 2023	Male	Burial	Yes	No
14 March 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
28 April 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
12 May 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
19 May 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
27 May 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
10 May 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
18 May 2023	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
20 July 2023	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
30 July 2023	Male	Cremation	No	No
24 August 2023	Male	Cremation	No	No
28 September 2023	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
09 October 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
17 October 2023	Male	Burial	Yes	No
18 October 2023	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
01 November 2023	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
01 December 2023	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
01 November 2023	Female	Cremation	No	No
26 December 2023	Male	Cremation	No	No
28 December 2023	Male	Cremation	No	No
14 January 2024	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
22 January 2024	Female	None	Yes	No
06 February 2024	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
07 March 2024	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
15 March 2024	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
22 March 2024	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
15 April 2024	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
03 May 2024	Male	Cremation	No	No
03 May 2024	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
25 May 2024	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
30 May 2024	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
12 July 2024	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
28 July 2024	Male	Cremation	No	No
16 July 2024	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
31 July 2024	Male	None	Yes	No
18 September 2024	Male	None	Yes	No
24 October 2024	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
30 December 2024	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
03 January 2025	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
06 February 2025	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
15 February 2025	Male	Cremation	Yes	No
17 February 2025	Female	Cremation	Yes	No
17 March 2025	Male	None	Yes	No
29 March 2025	Male	None	Yes	No

Public health funeral costs in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees

Financial year (1 April to 31 March)	Number of burials and cremations	Total costs paid for in the financial year £
2019 to 2020	13	15,242.21
2020 to 2021	25	27,130.57
2021 to 2022	12	14,336
2022 to 2023	13	14,051
2023 to 2024	24	59,317.60
2024 to 2025	18	19,188

Exemption of updated information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

There are relatively few public health funerals in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees therefore, we consider that publication of this information at quarterly intervals reasonable.

Exemption of additional information under The Freedom of Information Act 2000 

We apply the following exemptions to the release of any further information about public health funerals, people who have died with no known next of kin, bona vacantia estates and estates which have been referred to the Treasury Solicitor, or Duchy of Lancaster or Cornwall:

Section 21- information reasonably accessible to the applicant by another means

Our reason for applying this exemption is that details of all deaths within the Borough are registered. Deaths can be registered at any Registry Office and contact details of all those within the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, can be found on our registration pages.  

Information that the council holds on estates passed, or estates to be passed, to the Treasury Solicitor, is considered to be held on behalf of the Treasury Solicitor's Department. Some details of the estate of those persons who have died and which have been passed to the Treasury Solicitor can be accessed via the Treasury Solicitor's website or via the Bona Vacantia website.

Section 31  - law enforcement

Revealing details of the assets of an estate before the Treasury Solicitor has undertaken their own enquiries would provide an opportunity for criminal acts to be committed (for example, theft or fraud). Similarly, there would be concerns about making the last known address of the deceased public, as the property is likely to be unoccupied and might still contain the deceased's personal papers and effects. There is also a continuing risk after the estate has been secured of, for example, identity theft. Taking into account the above issues, the council considers that there is no over-riding public interest in releasing the information requested. Any public interest would be best served by upholding the exemption under Section 31 of the Act as disclosure of the information would be likely to prejudice the prevention of crime by enabling or encouraging the commission of offences.

Applicants should be aware that the exemption of additional information under Section 21 and Section 31 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 has been upheld by an Internal Review.