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Planning portal

- due to essential maintenance, documents may be unavailable on Wednesday 13 May and Thursday 14 May 2026.

Funeral support and standards

Funerals organised by us

If you need help arranging a funeral, we’re here for you. If there’s no family or no one willing or able to organise the funeral, we can provide a council-arranged burial or cremation.

What to do if there’s no family

If you know someone who has died and there’s no family, please contact the National Ultimus Haeres Unit. They check for any family and look into the deceased’s estate. You can reach them by phone at 0300 020 4196 or 0141 420 8804, or email _nationalultimushaeresunit@copfs.gov.uk.

How we help

We arrange funerals when the person died in South Lanarkshire or was receiving our support elsewhere. We talk to any friends or family about the person’s beliefs and wishes. If there’s no information about burial preferences, we’ll arrange a cremation.

Attending and personalising the funeral

Family and friends are welcome to attend. If you’d like, you can choose music for the cremation service, and the ashes can be collected by a named individual.

Burial details

Most burials happen in common ground, which means the local authority holds the right of burial. If the deceased owns a burial right or a registered lair holder agrees, burial can take place in a named lair.

Contact us

Our Bereavement Services team is here to help.

Related content

  1. Help with funeral costs
  2. Funerals organised by us
  3. Funeral Director Code of Practice

Bereavement Services

Phone: 0303 123 1016