Register to get free articles
Want unlimited access? View Plans
Already have an account? Sign in
Independent funeral provider A.W. Lymn is backing a campaign for the reform of government Bereavement Support Payments (BSP) during Dying Matters Week (4 – 10 May).
According to Jo Sharp, who started the campaign after losing her husband last year, many families are unaware of the limited financial aid available until they suffer a bereavement.
The BSP replaced the Widowed Parents’ Allowance in 2017, moving away from a system that assisted parents until their youngest child turned 18. Current provision offers a £2,500 initial payment and 18 monthly instalments of £100 on the lower rate.
Eligibility also depends on the National Insurance contributions of the deceased or whether the death was caused by a workplace accident. Applications must be submitted within three months of the death to secure full funding.
Nottingham-based A.W. Lymn is helping Sharp’s cause by encouraging the public to sign a petition calling for a parliamentary debate on the benefit system before it closes in July.
Sharp said: “I lost my husband Paul in February last year, before he reached retirement age, and I think he would be in shock if he knew that after 47.5 years of working – with 42.5 of those spent in the NHS – and paying into his pension and national insurance contributions, we would not be supported in the way he would have liked as a result of the changes to the Bereavement Support Payment.
“I have had to live off my savings for the last 13 months as until now I haven’t been able to return to work, and I will need to dip into my pension early due to the financial strain.”
Matthew Lymn Rose, managing director of A.W. Lymn, added: “Jo’s case is devastating, but sadly it is one we see on a weekly basis. The Bereavement Support Payment is not fit for purpose, and it is something we owe to widowed parents to get right.
“We care deeply about the families we support beyond that of the initial funeral arrangements. Jo has our full support in her campaigning efforts, and we now turn to the government to ask how they will make this right not only for the thousands of families across the country going through grief right now, but the millions who may need to call on its support in future too.”
