BURIAL fees in East Renfrewshire are to be hiked by 10 per cent from next year.

Council chiefs have given the green light to the controversial increase in charges.

It means those who lose a loved one face having to pay hundreds of pounds more for the body to be held and then cremated or buried in one of the local authority’s cemeteries.

But SNP and Labour councillors have claimed these services are still ‘well-priced’.

Labour member Alan Lafferty said: “Historically in East Renfrewshire, our charges are considerably lower than neighbouring authorities.”

The council will raise the cost of holding bodies on weekdays from £816 to £898 for residents and from £1,848 to £2,033 for non-residents.

On weekends and public holidays, residents will see prices rise from £1,416 to £1,558, while those from outside East Renfrewshire will be charged £2,462 – up from £2,238.

The weekend and public holiday costs are the same for Hebrew cemeteries but, on weekdays, the prices will go from £756 to £832 for residents and from £1,668 to £1,835 for non-residents.

East Renfrewshire residents will pay £271 for cremations on weekdays and £568 on weekends and public holidays – up from £246 and £516 respectively.

Non-residents will see cremation costs go from £546 to £601 on weekdays and from £876 to £964 on weekends and public holidays.

Residents seeking a new lair for a coffin will pay £1,003 – up from £912 – while non-residents will see costs rise from £2,094 to £2,303.

Those who purchase lairs in advance will now pay £1,553 instead of £1,412.

Council leader Tony Buchanan said: “There’s a significant increase in our charges for burials but I think the fact we still deliver an excellent service has to be noted.”

Bosses at the local authority have also laid out other ‘miscellaneous’ fees, including feasibility certificate costs rising by £21 to £231, coffin exhumations rising from £1,908 to £2,099 and cremated remains exhumations going from £420 to £462.

The cost of lair certificates will rise by £2.45 to £26.95, while duplicate certificates will cost £54 – up from £49.

Transferring of titles will go from £51.50 to £56.65, while ‘search fees’ will rise from £98 to £108.

The cost of setting up a memorial foundation will go from £112 plus VAT to £123 plus VAT.

Council chiefs have said there will be no charge for the burial of children under the age of 16 for residents of East Renfrewshire, while non-residents will get a 50 per cent discount on weekdays.

John O’Connell, TaxPayers’ Alliance chief executive, slammed the hike in fees.

He said: “These are considerable rate rises which will hit residents hard. Councils should ensure that they cut out all wasteful spending before asking taxpayers to pay big fees on top of their council tax bill.”