Funerals: Costs and Considerations

There’s lots to consider when arranging a funeral and a lot of different costs to weigh up at an already difficult time.

Listener Jean got in touch after her mother’s death. Her mother lived most of her life in Belfast but because she’d spent the last few years of her life in Armagh, Belfast City Council charged the family a higher fee for opening the grave. Jean applied for a rebate of the difference, showing proof of her mother’s address, and contacted On Your Behalf when months later she hadn’t received it.

Another listener, Amy, got in touch because more than a year after her father’s death she was still being charged for his mobile phone account. She’d tried to cancel it, but contacted On Your Behalf when the payments kept coming out of her bank account.

Stephen Larkin of the National Funeral Directors Association joins Linda in studio to discuss what families need to consider when it comes to arranging funerals and how to go about cancelling accounts and contracts.

All through January, On Your Behalf wants to help you start 2023 with the best foot forward. Nutrition consultant Sal Hanvey and fitness instructor Tony O’Neill are in studio with advice on how to eat better, be more active and save money.