Independent welcomes planning review

Independent funeral director A H Freemantle has welcomed the upcoming Treasury investigation into funeral planning.

James Keen from the Fareham funeral director told the Portsmouth News that he regularly had to tell families that pre-paid plans from some providers would not cover the costs they believed they would.

He told the paper: “I see cases like these all the time and it is very distressing for the relatives that are left to arrange the funeral.”

James welcomed both the Treasury review of funeral plans and the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) looking at the broader funeral profession, as both will help to ensure minimum standards are met.

He said: “If regulation can protect families, and help ensure they are clear on what they will receive out of a funeral plan and from a funeral director, it will be a good change.

“Those of us who already work with FPA-registered plan providers like Golden Charter can only benefit from this review. There are plans out there that just don’t meet our standards, and you see that in the effect they have on families who think they are getting something they’re not. Working with FPA-registered companies helps us insulate our families from that, and regulation should do the same.

“As things stand, responsible Independents will sometimes have to turn plans away, so we share in families’ disappointment over these irresponsible plans. A system that stops them at the source by forcing providers to meet certain standards would be a huge improvement.”

James added: “While reliable FPA-registered providers are in a good position to go ahead with regulation, less reliable plan providers will be in for a shock – and so will funeral directors who get used to accepting lots of these plans.”

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