Under the Public Health (Control of Diseases) Act 1984, when a resident in the area passes away the council has a duty to make arrangements for the funeral, if living relatives cannot be found, or are unable to pay for any funeral expenses. Public health funerals are also known as national assistance, welfare or pauper funerals.
We are frequently asked for 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. In response to these requests we publish details of these funerals. This information is supplied by financial year since 2013/14 onwards and the listings contain all the information we hold that can be made publically available.
There are relatively few public health funerals in Herefordshire and therefore we consider that publication of this information at quarterly intervals is reasonable. The provision of updated information before the next planned update will be exempted under Section 22 of the FOI Act, as it is information we hold with the intention of publishing at a future date, as specified above.
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 by other means
All deaths in Herefordshire are registered. The death certificates contain details of the deceased’s date / place of birth, marital status and any maiden names. As such we consider that information to be exempt as it is reasonably accessible via Herefordshire Registry Office.
Section 31 – law enforcement (prevention and detection of crime)
Revealing details of any 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 we would have concerns about making the last known address of the deceased public, as the property is likely to be unoccupied and may 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 this information. Any public interest would be best served by upholding the exemption under Section 31 of the Act as disclosure would be likely to prejudice the prevention of crime by enabling or encouraging the committing of offences.
Section 40(2) – personal data of third parties
The council sometimes makes arrangements for a funeral to take place if living relatives are unable to pay for any funeral expenses. Details of those funerals are not published as release could lead to the identification of these relatives, which could cause distress to them.
We have however published details of the total number of public health funerals arranged - which includes those with known next of kin and no next of kin.
Deceased persons 2023/24
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 1 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deceased persons 2022/23
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| Derek Cleaton |
15/03/2022 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 4 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deceased persons 2021/22
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| Keith Belson |
07/11/2021 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Paul Kenneth Shelton |
15/10/2021 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 6 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deceased persons 2020/21
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| Kathleen Alberter |
17/04/2020 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
F |
N |
| Eunice Jay |
13/07/2020 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
F |
N |
| David Bland |
31/10/2020 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Ian Moore |
19/11/2020 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| William Richardson |
03/02/2021 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 14 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deceased persons 2019/20
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| Frances Boland |
17/12/2019 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
F |
N |
| Milo Cananno (Howard Warren) |
30/12/2019 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 11 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deceased persons 2018/19
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| Derek Richard Phillips |
06/04/2018 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Arnis Neimanic |
03/06/2018 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Thomas Shaw |
06/03/2019 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Carol Ann Gladwin |
04/02/2019 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
F |
N |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 7 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deceased persons 2017/18
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| Paul Pace |
22/06/2017 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Lillian Kilner |
12/10/2017 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
F |
N |
| Douglas Jenkins |
17/08/2017 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Michael Sutherland |
27/11/2017 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| David Williams |
05/02/2018 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 8 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deceased persons 2016/17
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| Eunice Thomas |
20/03/2016 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
F |
N |
| Christine Watkins |
Not Known |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
F |
N |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 11 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deceased persons 2015/16
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| Herta Eichenberg |
24/03/2015 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
F |
N |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 9 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deceased persons 2014/15
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| Ron Hart |
14/07/2014 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Jeffrey Ward |
20/08/2014 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Alan Barrat |
27/09/2014 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| David Goble |
13/11/2014 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Alex Cann |
11/12/2014 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
Yes referred |
F |
N |
| Edna Fairlam |
13/02/2015 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
F |
N |
| Olive Gwendoline Bishop |
16/02/2015 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
Yes referred |
F |
N |
| Elsie Mary Thomas |
16/03/2015 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
F |
N |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 14 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deceased persons 2013/14
| Name of deceased |
Date of death |
Date/Place of birth, maiden names, marital status |
Last known address |
Whether matter referred to Tsol or other by LA |
Male/Female M/F |
Next of kin Yes/No |
| John Apperley |
27/08/2013 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| Brian Holloway |
02/10/2013 |
Exempt S21 |
Exempt S31 |
No referral |
M |
N |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total of 6 PH funerals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Table key
- Next of kin = The legal person - representative, who can make a claim to the deceased estate.
- LA = local authority
- Section 21 - (information already reasonably accessible by other means)
- Section 31 (1) (a) - (law enforcement -the prevention or detection of crime)
- Section 40 (2) - (personal data of third parties )
Download a copy of the tables
