It shall be the duty of every authority to which this subsection applies to cause to be buried or cremated the body of any person who has died or been found dead in their area, in any case where it appears to the authority that no suitable arrangements for the disposal of the body have been or are being made otherwise than by the authority.

The authorities to which the last foregoing subsection applies are the councils of F2districts and London boroughs and the Common Council of the City of London . . . F3, and in Scotland F4councils constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.

F6Any such council as is referred to in section 48(4) of this Act may cause to be buried or cremated the body of any deceased person who immediately before his death was being provided with accommodation under Part III of this Act by, or by arrangement with, the council or was living in a hostel provided by the council under section twenty-nine of this Act.

An authority may recover from the estate of the deceased person or from any person who for the purposes of this Act was liable to maintain the deceased person immediately before his death expenses incurred under subsection (1) . . . F7F8of this section, . . . F7.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F9

Nothing in the foregoing provisions of this section shall affect any enactment regulating or authorising the burial, cremation or anatomical examination of the body of a deceased person; and an authority shall not cause a body to be cremated under this section where they have reason to believe that cremation would be contrary to the wishes of the deceased.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F10