Manchester is working to make residents with terminal illnesses exempt from paying council tax

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Patient in a hospital bed

Female patient in a hospital bed / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)

Manchester is aiming to become one of the UK’s major cities to exempt its residents with terminal illnesses from paying council tax.

After Marie Curie’s recent ‘Dying in Poverty’ report found that around 42% of working age and 30% of pension-age residents in Manchester die while living in financial hardship, Manchester City Council has announced that it’ll be working together with the UK’s leading end of life charity to ensure that those with terminal illnesses become exempt from paying council tax.

The Council says addressing this ‘profoundly important issue’ is at the heart of a larger plan to support the most vulnerable residents in Manchester.

New proposals set out a plan for the Council to change its Discretionary Council Tax Policy (DCTP) to explicitly include a commitment to support people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

To become exempt, clinicians will need to fill out a form to confirm that a person has a progressive disease, and consequently is expected to pass away within a 12-month period.

Manchester is working to make residents with terminal illnesses exempt from paying council tax / Credit: gov.uk

Using DCTP, the Council will then make up the difference of any shortfall in council tax, so that in any situation where a member of the household qualifies – whether an adult, child or non-dependant – the household will have nothing to pay.

The support will then apply to the household’s council tax bill until the date of the persons death.

The Council will also be working to ensure that a ‘tell us once’ protocol is in place so that, in the event of a claimant’s passing, no undue burden will fall upon their family, and steps will also be in place to retain the discount for the remainder of the financial year to provide additional support for the passed person’s family.

Once delivered, it’s estimated that this scheme could support around 175 residents in Manchester – the majority of which would be of working age.

“The moment when you or your family member gets the devastating news of terminal illness is heartbreaking,” commented Manchester City Council leader, Cllr Bev Craig, as the plans were announced this week.

“The last thing you need to worry about is money and bills, but we know for too many people it takes up too much time and stress.

“Too many people are living in poverty in our city… and that’s why we are exempting people with a terminal illness from council tax, alongside a wider package of support with the cost of living, doing everything in our power to ensure families have one less thing to worry about during such a difficult time.

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“We want to thank Marie Curie for their vital work, and as a Council want to do all we can to ease the burden at the end of someone’s life.”

Featured Image – Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)