Bradford Council today faced a backlash from the clergy after linking with a private company to offer civil funerals.

Cambridgeshire-based Civil Funerals Ltd is handling the training and publicity for the service, which was launched by the Council last month. But clergy claim there was no consultation with the district's faiths groups.

Christina Smith, who was already employed by the Council as a registration officer and performed civil marriages, was trained by the company to perform funerals, which can be staged anywhere except in churches.

Now the Archdeacon of Bradford, the Venerable Guy Wilkinson, has contacted the Council on behalf of the Anglican and Methodist clergy expressing deep concern about the scheme, which was started without any publicity.

The Archdeacon said he had contacted the Council on behalf of concerned clergy.

He said: "There have been no discussions with any of the faith communities at all. I have pointed out that it isn't just the arrangements of the funeral, but the follow-up in bereavement support. I understand there will be no follow up. There are lots of questions. We also want to know what the commercial angle is in this."

And Great Horton Labour ward councillor the Reverend Paul Flowers - also Methodist superintendent for Great Horton - has asked for the service to be withdrawn to allow full consultation to take place.

Coun Flowers wants to know who authorised the system and which committee was involved in the decision.

He has written: "I suspect the matter has been dealt with in a hasty and ill-prepared manner. I have a wider view that families need considerable support in the process of under taking funerals for their loved ones. That support is initiated before the funeral and is carried on long after the funeral ceremony."

A Council spokesman said the service had been operating since July and six funerals had taken place. He said the decision had been taken after a report to the corporate scrutiny committee on best value in the registration service.

He said the General Synod of the Church of England was aware of the service before it started and a presentation had been given at national level to the Churches Group on Funerals, Cemeteries and Crematoria about the scheme.

"As a consultation had taken place at a national level with the churches it was not felt necessary to duplicate that at a local level," he said.

He said there was a £155 fee for the service, most of it retained by the Council to cover the costs and the remainder going to the company.