Public health funerals
About public health funerals
We provide public health funerals for people who have died within our borough and have no family members, or other willing and able parties to make funeral arrangements.
Our public health funerals are organised after we have made reasonable efforts to find them within 6 to 10 weeks.
You can read about our statutory responsibility in in Section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.
If someone passes away outside of the borough of Southwark
If someone dies outside of the borough of Southwark, then the responsibility including all costs for funeral arrangements falls to the local authority where the death occurred, even if the person was a resident of Southwark.
We have no authority over another council and cannot become involved if the funeral arrangements are being arranged or have been conducted.