A COUNCIL spent £22,973 on so-called ‘pauper’ funerals over the course of 12 months, a survey has shown.

Such funerals are held by a local authority when someone who has died has no family or remaining family are unable to immediately cover the cost of the funeral.

The money was spent by Redcar and Cleveland Council on 13 public health funerals in 2015/16. Neighbouring Middlesbrough Council spent £19,164 on 17 public health funerals over the same period and Stockton Borough Council spent £8,097 on nine.

The councils responded to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests from insurer Royal London.

It said the number of public health funerals had increased across by Britain by 12 per cent over the past five years.

Its survey showed Hartlepool Borough Council also spent £3,576 on ten funerals and Darlington funded three public health funerals, although it said the cost of these was not available.

Royal London also said that in some cases the cost of a funeral may have been recovered by councils from the estate of the person who had died.