Use of Obitus Systems in Council Crematoria
Case reference FOI2026/01449
Received 10 June 2026
Published 10 July 2026
Request
Freedom of Information request: Use of Obitus systems in council crematoria
I am making this request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please provide information regarding the use of Obitus systems, services, or equipment in any council-owned, council-operated, or council-managed crematoria for which your authority is responsible.
For each crematorium, please provide:
1. Whether Obitus systems or services are currently used.
2. The name/location of the crematorium.
3. The type of Obitus service used, for example music, webcast/live-streaming, visual tributes, recording, chapel media systems, or any other related service.
4. The date Obitus was first contracted or installed.
5. Copies of current contracts, service agreements, schedules, or purchase orders with Obitus, with any legally exempt information redacted if necessary.
6. The annual cost paid to Obitus for each financial year from 2019/20 to the present.
7. Any income received by the authority from families, funeral directors, or third parties for Obitus-related services over the same period.
8. Any policy, guidance, or procedure documents relating to the use of Obitus systems at crematoria.
9. Any recorded complaints, incidents, service failures, or technical issues involving Obitus systems from 2019/20 to the present, including the date, crematorium, brief description, and outcome.
10. Whether any data protection impact assessment, privacy notice, or data processing agreement exists relating to Obitus services, especially webcasting, recordings, or personal data of deceased persons, mourners, or service attendees.
Response
Freedom of Information request: Use of Obitus systems in council crematoria
I am making this request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please provide information regarding the use of Obitus systems, services, or equipment in any council-owned, council-operated, or council-managed crematoria for which your authority is responsible.
For each crematorium, please provide:
1. Whether Obitus systems or services are currently used.
Answer: Yes
2. The name/location of the crematorium.
Answer: Hereford Crematorium
3. The type of Obitus service used, for example music, webcast/live-streaming, visual tributes, recording, chapel media systems, or any other related service.
Answer: Music, visual tributes, live streaming, and keepsakes
4. The date Obitus was first contracted or installed.
Answer: 15.10.2018
5. Copies of current contracts, service agreements, schedules, or purchase orders with Obitus, with any legally exempt information redacted if necessary.
Answer: As you were previously advised, a Public Interest Test was initially applied for this question under Section 10(3) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in regard to Section 43 (1) and / or (2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We have managed to locate the attached Terms of Business Jan 2025, however, having considered the public interest in disclosure against the interest in not disclosing the information, we have determined that the document can be disclosed in its entirety.
Please be advised we cannot locate a copy of the contract in our possession.
6. The annual cost paid to Obitus for each financial year from 2019/20 to the present.
Answer: Please see the table below:
|
2019/20 |
£14,685 |
|
2020/21 |
£40,375 |
|
2021/22 |
£39,229 |
|
2022/23 |
£47,139 |
|
2023/24 |
£46,739 |
|
2024/25 |
£54590 |
|
2025/26 |
£69,745 |
7. Any income received by the authority from families, funeral directors, or third parties for Obitus-related services over the same period.
Answer: Please see the table below:
|
2019/20 |
£7,925 |
|
2020/21 |
£45,129 |
|
2021/22 |
£38,774 |
|
2022/23 |
£48,480 |
|
2023/24 |
£53,149 |
|
2024/25 |
£64,480 |
|
2025/26 |
£69,153 |
8. Any policy, guidance, or procedure documents relating to the use of Obitus systems at crematoria.
Answer: The Service Area have advised the authority uses materials supplied by Obitus to support use of the service. These materials include operational, technical, or training information about Obitus systems and processes.
These documents are publicly available and can be found on the Obitus website via the following link:
As such we consider this information to be exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it is reasonably accessible to you via other means. Please take this letter as a refusal notice under S17 of the Act.
9. Any recorded complaints, incidents, service failures, or technical issues involving Obitus systems from 2019/20 to the present, including the date, crematorium, brief description, and outcome.
Answer: This information is not held. There are no recorded complaints, and no technical issues have been recorded.
10. Whether any data protection impact assessment, privacy notice, or data processing agreement exists relating to Obitus services, especially webcasting, recordings, or personal data of deceased persons, mourners, or service attendees.
Answer: This information is not held. The Service Area have advised, given the limited personal information involved, a DPIA was not previously completed. This would be looked at again for any new contract.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.