COUNCIL plans to to increase the cost of funerals in Brighton and Hove by up to 43 per cent have been called outrageous.

Concerns have been raised about how the city’s poorest will be able to pay for services after above inflation rises for funerals and weddings were agreed by councillors.

Members of the Fair Funerals campaign have called on Brighton and Hove City Council to reconsider the decision because of its potential damaging impact on vulnerable residents.

Green councillor Phelim MacCafferty called for a more graduated rise in costs so as not to price out the city’s poorest.

Council officers said the increase was designed to bring the local authority in line with its neighbours, including Worthing and Eastbourne.

The highest rise will fall on the council and NHS for public health funerals which will rise £130 to £430 (43 per cent) from January.

But residents will be asked to pay 16.2 per cent more to use Woodvale chapel for weekend services

Graveyard plots for children will rise by 17.6 per cent to £120 while adult interment graves will rise by 18 per cent to £850.

The cost of marriages and civil partnerships at the city council's wedding venues will also rise by five per cent.

The proposals will generate an additional annual income for the council of up to £150,000.

The Fair Funeral Campaign has revealed that nationally funeral costs have risen by 35 per cent over the last five years, prompting a Parliamentary inquiry into funeral poverty to be launched this week.

Heather Kennedy, campaign manager, said: “We’re shocked by the decision to increase prices for their cremation services so dramatically.

"These price hikes, way above the rate of inflation, will leave more and more residents getting into unmanageable debt and suffering the shame and distress of funeral poverty.

"We urge Brighton and Hove to reconsider this decision which will have a damaging impact on vulnerable people trying to arrange a funeral for someone they love.”

A spokeswoman for Christians Against Poverty, a Funeral Poverty Alliance member, said: “We are very concerned to hear of this rise.

"Budgets are tight for local councils but it’s hard to think of anyone more vulnerable than someone both recently bereaved, poverty stricken and facing a pauper’s funeral.”

Cllr MacCafferty said: “There are considerably large increases here and that makes me quite worried about people not being able to afford them."

Paul Holloway, the council's head of life events, said: “We are just trying to continue to keep our fees and charges in line with other service providers.

“I think the exercise this time has established that they are appropriate fees and charges for this period of time.

“We would like to ensure that we don’t need to increase fees and charges in the future any more than the inflationary amount now that we have established that we have appropriate fees and charges.”