Terminally ill should be spared council tax, say charities

People given less than 12 months to live should be spared from paying council tax, two of the UK’s leading end of life charities have said.

Manchester City Council became what is believed to be the first local authority to introduce the scheme last month.

Now Marie Curie and Hospice UK want other local councils and devolved governments to follow suit.

The Local Government Association and devolved administrations say some discretion and support with council tax payments for people in challenging situations is already available.

Nathaniel Dye, a 39-year-old primary school music teacher from London, has been busy living his life since receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2022.

But since he was told earlier this year he has less than 12 months to live, as his health deteriorates, his finances have come into sharp focus.

Especially the nearly £200 a month he pays in council tax.

“Having a council tax exemption might not sound like very much, it’s not the hugest tax burden that people have to pay, but it’s really, really important.

“It represents something, it represents peace of mind which for me is priceless.

“It’s not having to worry about those little things. Maybe even being able to afford some kind of luxuries as you’re nearing end of life that otherwise might not be able to afford.”

People given a terminal diagnosis, especially those of working age, can face serious personal finance implications.

Jamie Thunder, from Marie Curie, says it can lead to a significant income shock.

“It can mean you might have to reduce your hours or stop working altogether and so might your partner if they’re caring for you.

“At the same time you might have additional costs particularly around energy. Medical devices in particular… you might get the device from the NHS but you won’t get support with the running costs.

“Council tax is one of the larger bills that you might have to pay. It’s also one people are very worried about missing particularly because the enforcement of council tax can be quite sudden and ramp up quite quickly.

“So taking that bit of pressure off is a really valuable thing.”

In Manchester, if a resident provides a letter from a clinician showing they have less than twelve months to live, they no longer have to pay council tax.

Their household won’t have to restart repaying it until the end of the financial year after the person had died, or for a few months if their death is close to that cut off point.

The leader of the city council, Councillor Bev Craig, says this is one way it hopes to alleviate the burden of bills in the most challenging of times.

“Council tax for most people is still one of their biggest bills so we’re saying as a council, what can we do practically to take away one of those biggest bills people have to worry about?

“This is about showing that sometimes public services can be responsive, they can be flexible and they can be compassionate.”

Marie Curie and Hospice UK want other authorities to do the same.

They argue the cost to public finances would be minimal, but the benefits to individual households – both emotionally and financially – would be massive.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils in England, and administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland says some discretion and support for terminally ill people is already available but that many will watch the Manchester scheme with interest.