What this report measures
This analysis uses Cremation Guide’s current independently maintained records. Each profile is linked to official operator evidence and distinguishes a standard attended cremation fee from a direct or unattended fee. The download also includes ownership, area, year, evidence confidence and selected published facility statuses.
It measures the listed crematorium charge, not the complete price of a funeral. Averages are unweighted: each crematorium counts once, regardless of the number of cremations performed.
Council and private pricing
| Ownership | Records with attended fee | Mean attended fee |
|---|---|---|
| Local authority | 146 | £1,042 |
| Private company | 115 | £1,181 |
| Joint committee of local authorities | 18 | £1,010 |
In this snapshot, the unrounded private-company mean is approximately £138 higher than the unrounded local-authority mean. That is descriptive, not proof that ownership causes the difference: location, service duration, facilities and included items are not controlled.
Regional variation
Local prices vary sharply. Among larger groupings in the current dataset, Greater Manchester’s 12 listed attended fees average about £1,004; London’s 16 average about £1,072; Kent’s 11 average about £1,093; Essex’s 10 average about £1,184. Small-area averages can represent only one site and should not be treated as a regional market rate.
The complete CSV lets researchers regroup the raw records. The interactive cost map and searchable price database are better for a family comparing nearby sites.
Direct-cremation availability
268 of the 280 profiles have a recorded numeric direct or unattended cremation fee in this release. The remaining 12 are marked “Not published”. A recorded fee does not mean a member of the public can book it directly, that every funeral director offers it, or that transport and care are included.
Published accessibility and facility gaps
These counts show where evidence is published and verified in our current records—not necessarily where a facility exists.
| Facility | Profiles with published evidence | Share of 280 |
|---|---|---|
| Webcast | 163 | 58% |
| Wheelchair access | 124 | 44% |
| Hearing loop | 108 | 39% |
| Accessible parking | 107 | 38% |
| Accessible toilet | 103 | 37% |
| Step-free access | 85 | 30% |
The largest finding is an information gap: families often need to telephone to establish basic access details. Operators can improve this by publishing specific, current facility information rather than a general accessibility claim.
Annual price changes: the baseline
This is the first versioned annual report under the current methodology. It establishes the August 2026 baseline. No prior-year percentage is presented because the project does not yet have a like-for-like frozen dataset produced under the same method; inventing one would be misleading.
The downloadable file is date-stamped and the next edition will compare matched records, separate new or closed sites, and report both cash and percentage changes. Material corrections will be recorded publicly.
How to use and cite the data
You may quote the analysis with attribution to “Cremation Guide, UK cremation data report 2026” and link to this page. Journalists and charities should inspect the row-level source and confirmation date before relying on a particular fee. Prices can change without notice.
- Dataset date: 10 August 2026.
- Scope: 280 active UK crematorium profiles.
- Missing attended value: one record; excluded from attended averages.
- Rounding: means shown to the nearest pound; source values retained in CSV.
- Commercial influence: none; no provider pays for inclusion, ranking or a lead.
Resources for journalists and charities
A short plain-text briefing is available for editorial and information teams. It repeats the report’s limitations so headline figures are not separated from their context.
There is no paid placement, referral arrangement or requirement to link back. Please attribute quoted analysis to “Cremation Guide, UK cremation data report 2026”.