City poised to axe council tax for terminally ill

Council tax could be scrapped for terminally ill people in Wakefield

Wakefield Council looks set to agree to spare terminally ill residents from paying council tax.

Councillors have been asked to back a motion calling for a review of the financial support they offer to people with less than 12 months to live at a meeting next week.

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.

Labour councillor David Pickersgill, who proposed the motion, said: "Suspending council tax for terminally ill people means they will face one less financial burden during an already unimaginably difficult time."

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.

More than 300 people die in poverty every day in the UK, according to the charity's Dying in Poverty 2024 report.

'Dignity should be non-negotiable'

Pickersgill said: "This council believes everyone should be able to spend the final days, weeks and months of their life focusing 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."

The motion calls on Wakefield Council to support the Marie Curie campaign, set out a plan to change council policies and base entitlement on forms completed by a doctor confirming the patient is expected to die within 12 months.

It will be debated at a full council meeting on Wednesday, the Local Democracy Service reports.

Pickersgill added: "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."

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