The government has pledged to take urgent action to regulate the funeral sector after disgraced funeral director Robert Bush was jailed for 20 years on Friday. Bush was sentenced for 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, defrauding nearly 200 families of over £500,000, and giving bereaved relatives the ashes of strangers.
Campaigners, including Tristan and Claire Essex, whose grandmother was one of Bush's victims, have been calling for "full statutory regulation" of the industry. The current system in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is self-regulating, relying on voluntary codes and trade association inspections, meaning anyone can set up as a funeral director without formal training or mandatory oversight.
Following the sentencing, the Department for Health and Social Care announced it would develop "proposals for formal regulation of the funeral sector," with families due to be consulted. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that comprehensive proposals would be brought forward to ensure respect and dignity for the deceased. Prime Minister Andy Burnham also supported regulation, aiming for "the highest standards" in the sector.
During police interviews, Bush himself highlighted the lack of regulation, noting that inspections by the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) did not carry penalties for non-compliance. The NAFD, which Legacy Independent Funeral Directors resigned from in 2021, has also expressed a desire for independent statutory regulation of all funeral directors.
Concerns were also raised in court regarding the failure of registrars to follow up on missing forms used to monitor burials and cremations. Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council stated that while registrars were meant to inform the national general register office about missing certificates, "that did not happen."