N.E. Lincs Council issue £200 fine for funeral over running by 48 seconds.

[iansheff]

I know councils are strapped for cash and I realise that funerals have to  meet the schedule or there could be a backlog of funeral cars waiting but to fine someone £200 for running over by 48 seconds especially as it was the last service of the day is just money grabbing.  I didn't know that there was a fine for the funeral directors if the  service is not started on time, although I would imagine that is the funeral directors responsibility unless the mourners are not ready and delay setting off. Apparently every funeral director in North East Lincolnshire has fallen foul of the system.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/grieving-sisters-are-fined-£200-because-they-took-too-long-to-say-their-final-goodbye-to-their-father-causing-his-funeral-to-overrun-by-48-seconds/ar-AADvmto?ocid=spartanntp

Edited June 27, 2019 by iansheff

[geared]

I can see that fine having absolutely zero chance if it was challenged in court.

 

Would be fund trying to watch some jobsworth from the council attempt to justify it though.

[Lockdoctor]

It beggars belief.

[iansheff]

I hope the sisters fight this and win, how are the council going to prove the funeral over ran by 48 seconds, do all funeral directors have to synchronise watches with the crematorium?

Edited June 27, 2019 by iansheff

[ECCOnoob]

All screams of manufactured dialogue to me.

 

I noticed a complete lack of  "...a spokesperson from the council said....."

 

Or "we contacted the funeral directors who gave a statement of......"

 

So what we have is a local rag desperately looking for something to fill their pages with.  They threw out some freedom of information requests, desperately trawled through the disclosure and found some emotive subject that they can throw out there and push a few buttons.

 

The famous for 5 minutes crowd pick it up, the obligatory sad face photographs are taken....Add in some "poor old pensioner" angle and a sprinkling of  "he was a lovable chap like by everybody" fluff.....

 

Then bingo. The perfect human interest story just right for the tabloids to lap up with a big fat cheque straight into the till of the local rag whose finances have took a battering over the past few years.

 

A bit more social media attention to hype up and everyone's a winner.

[ANGELFIRE1]

21 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

All screams of manufactured dialogue to me.

 

I noticed a complete lack of  "...a spokesperson from the council said....."

 

Or "we contacted the funeral directors who gave a statement of......"

 

So what we have is a local rag desperately looking for something to fill their pages with.  They threw out some freedom of information requests, desperately trawled through the disclosure and found some emotive subject that they can throw out there and push a few buttons.

 

The famous for 5 minutes crowd pick it up, the obligatory sad face photographs are taken....Add in some "poor old pensioner" angle and a sprinkling of  "he was a lovable chap like by everybody" fluff.....

 

Then bingo. The perfect human interest story just right for the tabloids to lap up with a big fat cheque straight into the till of the local rag whose finances have took a battering over the past few years.

 

A bit more social media attention to hype up and everyone's a winner.

Wow, you have to have some imagination to think that lot up.

 

Angel1.

[ECCOnoob]

38 minutes ago, ANGELFIRE1 said:

Wow, you have to have some imagination to think that lot up.

 

Angel1.

To be clear.   I am not saying that the receipt of a fine is fiction.  I am challenging the narrative and sensationalising of the story produced by the newspapers concerned.

 

For the record what I describe is  far from imagination.     The world behind the scenes of media organisations is well documented.   They are money making machines with 1001 dirty tricks at their disposal.      When the story cupboard is empty they report on the sensation caused by other stories to create a new story.    When the journalists are having a lazy day they report on some selective jucy data from some FOI request or statistics report to create a bit of generic narrative and something to fill the pages.  If they have nobody relevant to interview in a story they will simply default to "public reaction" or so called "experts" to blow some hot air.   When the 24 hour rolling news channels is running dry on actual news they chuck out some a piece of human interest fluff or showbiz "gossip" narrative to fill in the gaps.  

 

Things like this are common place in newsrooms.   

 

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by ECCOnoob

[iansheff]

According to the article , a Freedom of Information request has revealed there have been six families fined for over running funerals at Grimsby Crematorium by less than two minutes. There were 20 fines imposed, totalling £4,000 over a 21-month period.

Edited June 27, 2019 by iansheff

[Ontarian1981]

1 hour ago, iansheff said:

According to the article , a Freedom of Information request has revealed there have been six families fined for over running funerals at Grimsby Crematorium by less than two minutes. There were 20 fines imposed, totalling £4,000 over a 21-month period.

"Bill was a wonderful husband and devoted fat......" 

"Times up ladies and gentlemen...Next"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Top Cats Hat]

8 hours ago, geared said:

Would be fund trying to watch some jobsworth from the council attempt to justify it though.

They don’t have to justify it to anyone.

 

If the council has a contract with the funeral directors which has a penalty clause for running over time, then the judge will rule in the council’s favour if the funeral ran over. 🙄