Controversial Wakefield funeral firm's demise to be raised in Parliament

Safe Hands, based in Durkar, has been put into administration and is thought to have more than 46,000 customers across the UK who have each paid for their funeral in advance.

With the average cost of a funeral in the UK at about £3,800, it means customers could potentially have lost a collective total of more than £100 million, and questions remain about where the money has gone.

But MP Lucy Allan, a Conservative who represents Telford in Shropshire, and who is a qualified chartered accountant, contacted the Express and said: “Clients’ monies are supposed to be held in an independently managed trust, and for this reason funeral plan providers do not become insolvent.

“The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is not aware of any funeral plan provider ever having failed.

“It is imperative that pressure is brought to bear on industry leaders to find a solution that protects plan holders and the integrity of the industry.

“I will be raising this in Parliament after the Easter recess.”

Meanwhile, the FCA said: “People who bought a pre-paid funeral plan with Safe Hands will be understandably concerned.

“The government changed the law to bring pre-paid funeral plans under our regulation from the end of July, 2022.

“Until then, these firms are unregulated and we have limited powers.

“We’re reviewing firms’ applications to ensure they meet the standards necessary and we have put in place rules they must follow from July 29, including protection for consumers if firms fail.”