A WHARFEDALE vicar is backing a campaign to force businesses to treat grieving families more compassionately.

The Bereavement Standard campaign wants utility companies, banks, mobile phone and other service providers to follow new account closure rules to make life easier for those who have lost a loved one.

A UK-wide opinion poll conducted by YouGov shows that 80 per cent of the British public agree with all three major cornerstones of the standard, which would streamline ‘end of life administration’ to reduce the distress it can cause. And in Yorkshire and Humberside the figure is even higher, with 85 per cent backing the move.

The campaign is being led by mother and daughter Julie and Vicky Wilson - whose petition calling on the Government to act has attracted nearly 90,000 signatures - and the Cruse Bereavement Care charity.

Among those supporting the initiative is Rev Stephen McCauley, the Rector of Washburn and Mid Wharfe Benefice, who has supported many hundreds of bereaved families during more than two decades of ministry.

He said: “Families are often shocked at the amount of forms, phone calls and e-mails that are required following a bereavement.

“Quite often this can have a destructive effect on their ability to grieve as they just don’t have the energy to deal with it all. I believe a new Standard is necessary.”

The polling took place on the same day that the biggest high street bank and insurance companies met up to discuss their support for a new standard.

Vicky Wilson, co-founder of online end of life administration startup Settld, said: “This research shows that the British public have had enough of bereavement bureaucracy and want companies to improve their treatment of grieving families and to speed up and simplify their processes.

“We urge the Government to listen to people living in Yorkshire and across the UK and to back their calls, which are supported by dozens of organisations, regulators, companies and charities, for a new Bereavement Standard.”

More than 60 organisations including Lloyds, Santander, Barclays, Nationwide and Legal and General, along with intermediary firms and brokers, attended a virtual summit on the issue.

The event was hosted by Settld.care and Cruse Bereavement Care along with Chris Pond, Chair of the Financial Inclusion Commission, and Johnny Timpson, financial protection specialist at Scottish Widows.

Mr Pond said: “By showing up the leaders of these financial institutions have shown their commitment to improving standards towards bereaved and vulnerable customers. They recognise that there are problems and they have committed to action to make things better.”