Public Health Funerals

The Council, along with many other local authorities, has been experiencing a huge rise in Freedom of Information (FOI) Requests from companies offering to trace the next of kin of persons being buried under the Public Health Act 1984.  In response to the volume of FOI requests on this matter, the Council has created this list page to make public all cases it refers to the Treasury Solicitor.  In this way the Council has fulfilled its obligation under Section 22 of the FOI Act (future publication) and will from this point forward refuse all such requests and refer applicants to this page. 

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 names and addresses have been redacted or withheld under the following two exemptions:

Section 21 – Information accessible to applicant by other means

Although I can confirm that Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC) holds some of the information requested, the Council does not accept that it holds the information in its own right, but on behalf of the Treasury Solicitors’ department.  Some details of the estate of those persons who have died have been passed onto the Treasury Solicitors’ Department can be accessed via the Treasury Solicitors’ website or at the Bona Vacantia website.

Section 31(1)(a) – Law enforcement (prevention and detection of crime)

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council will not disclose address details into the public domain where they relate to deceased’s empty properties as the property is likely to be unoccupied and might still contain the deceased’s personal papers and effects.  The Council does not believe it to be in the public interest to disclose information relating to empty properties prior to a full and thorough securing of the assets of the estate as undertaken by Treasury Solicitors.  Additionally, giving out the names of the deceased taken with other information easily available i.e. the electoral role, telephone directory entry, 192.com etc would make identifying properties fairly easy.