The Labour Party is today asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, to allocate £10 million in his Autumn Statement to help parents pay for the costs of child funerals.

At present, local authorities across England have different charging regimes for the burial and cremation of children, with some offering the service for free while others charge. Labour’s proposal, if accepted by the government, would mean that no grieving family would have to pay for either a burial plot or cremation that are provided by local authorities.

Teresa Pearce MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Communities and Local Government said:

“Sadly each year around 5000 children die, many of them in their infancy. If the Government accept our proposal to provide free burial for children it would go some way to reducing the strain for those grieving families.

“While we must always be careful with public expenditure, the cost of this scheme for government is minimal when compared to the benefits it could bring.”