Cost of dying goes up in Westmeath
We are all used to the cost of cost of living going up, but at Monday night's Council meeting the cost of dying in Westmeath rose dramatically.Councillors - who eventually agreed to increase the cost of burials in Westmeath from â¬450 to â¬585 and the cost of plots from â¬300 to â¬450 - were informed that when it came to the operation of Westmeath's graveyards, the local authority currently had a deficit of â¬275,000. This deficit is rising all time due to the difference between the acutal cost of a burial (â¬1200) and the amount the public paid (â¬450) for the service. There were similiar discrepancies when it came to the provision of family plots. The cost to the Council of providing plots is â¬600, half of what the public had to pay (â¬300) .(For more see this week's Examiner)