Wakefield councillors to debate call for to scrap council tax for terminally ill residents
The move comes after end of life charity Marie Curie called for councils across England to offer more financial help to terminally ill residents
Wakefield Council looks set to agree to spare terminally ill residents from paying council tax.
Councillors have been asked to agree to a motion calling for a review of the financial support they offer to people with less than 12 months to live.
The move comes after end of life charity Marie Curie called for councils across England to offer more financial help to terminally ill residents and their loved ones.
The motion, proposed by Labour councillor David Pickersgill, states: “This council believes everyone should be able to spend the final days, weeks and months of their life focussing on what really matters – making memories with their loved ones.
“But life is often more expensive when you live with a terminal diagnosis, and with the rising costs of living, more and more terminally ill people are being pushed into poverty across the UK every year.”
In June this year, Manchester City Council became the first in England to offer full exemption for people with a terminal illness after working closely with Marie Curie.
Coun Pickersgill also said: “This council understands that suspending council tax for terminally ill people means they will face one less financial burden during an already unimaginably difficult time.
“It’s not just a thoughtful act – it could be the difference between security and poverty at the end of life, when comfort and dignity should be non-negotiable.”
The motion, to be debated at a full council meeting on September 24, calls on the authority to:
– Support the Marie Curie campaign calling for council tax relief for terminally ill residents.
– Set out a plan for the council to change its policies to explicitly include a commitment to support people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
– Base entitlement on forms completed by a doctor confirming a patient is expected to pass away within 12 months.
More than 300 people die in poverty every day in the UK, according to the charity’s Dying in Poverty 2024 report.
Earlier this year, Manchester City Council announced the change to its discretionary council tax policy to specifically support people diagnosed with a terminal illness who receive council tax support.
It estimated the move would support about 175 residents in Manchester, the majority of whom would be of working age.