Ipswich council will not charge any families for burials or cremations of children from the town after the borough’s executive agreed to introduce the change.
The number of children who are buried or cremated in the town is mercifully small – and Ipswich Hospital pays burial fees of babies who are stillborn or die shortly after birth.
The change was brought in after Conservative councillor Nadia Cenci tabled a motion at last month’s full meeting of the council asking for the charges to be removed.
She said: “I am very pleased this has now come into force. Thankfully it will only affect a tiny number of families – but it will remove a concern for those families at what is a very tragic time in their lives.”
In 2016/17 the council received £4,600 in costs from seven infant deaths and this year it has so far received £1,100 from three infant deaths. There will be no further charges to families.
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