Funerals in Leeds – UPDATE 6th November 2020

On behalf of Shaid from LCC

Leeds City Council is grateful for the brilliant contributions of faith organisations, community groups and communities in a collective response to the challenges presented by Covid-19 over the past 6 months.

I think we can justifiably be proud of how the city and all its communities have come together to reduce the impact of the virus and support our most vulnerable.

We now find ourselves facing further challenges as the number of cases rises significantly in the city and as we enter a second period of lockdown in England. We need your help to tackle a serious and urgent need to address the number of people who attend funerals in Leeds.

This number is regularly exceeding the government’s restrictions of 30 mourners at a funeral and if it continues, the council will have no option but to introduce a firmer, more enforcement-led approach, to protect our staff.

So, when anyone is thinking of attending a funeral, please would you –

1. Consider that families may have already invited up to 30 mourners and re-consider your attendance so that the numbers do not exceed 30.
2.  Consider the health and wellbeing of council staff and funeral directors (who throughout coronavirus have continued to work extremely hard and with great commitment to ensure burials can go ahead)

For other ‘lifecycle events’ such as grave stone settings or the strewing of ashes the number of attendees must not exceed 15 (this number excludes the person who performs the religious service or ceremony, known as an officiant). A link to the latest government guidance on funerals is as follows: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november#weddings-civilpartnerships-religious-services-and-funerals

I have also attached a guidance note [below] for your congregations and networks with some more detail on funerals and other ‘lifecycle events’ which I would appreciate you circulating as widely as possible.

Shaid Mahmood
Chief Officer Communities, Leeds City Council
For more information or support please email [email protected] or [email protected]

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