Sandwell Council is responsible for making funeral arrangements for anybody who dies within the borough, when no other arrangements are being or are likely to be made for example, when the deceased has no family and the deceased hasn't left a will.
The responsibility is placed upon the council by Section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. This Act also states that council may recover all costs incurred in making the funeral arrangements from the estate of the deceased (i.e. their property and possessions).
If the deceased died outside of the borough of Sandwell, the funeral arrangements will then be the responsibility of the local authority where the death occurred, even if the deceased had been a resident of Sandwell.
The council will not be able to become involved if funeral arrangements have already been made, or if the funeral has already taken place. We cannot provide any funding for funeral arrangements to families, whether the funeral has taken place or not.
If there is nobody able or willing to make the funeral arrangements, the case may be referred to the council and if accepted the council will then be responsible for making the arrangements.
If family are found and they choose not to make funeral arrangements, they will be required to sign a form stating that they are relinquishing responsibility for the funeral arrangements and where appropriate, they understand that costs will be recovered from the deceased's estate which will include a property search.
If the family have already removed any possessions from where the deceased lived, these are to be returned to help offset the funeral costs.
Landlords should not enter or remove any items from the deceased's accommodation until after the property search has taken place.