Will councils introduce terminal illness rule?

This week, Manchester council announced it was making a ‘pioneering’ move by writing off council tax bills for terminally ill Mancs.

The new policy says a household will have nothing to pay if a medic believes one resident at the address — a child or adult — has fewer than 12 months to live. Support will be in place until the date the person in question passes away.

Manchester’s policy was brought in to cut-down stress for families facing a bereavement, according to Bev Craig, council leader.

She said: “The moment when you or your family member gets the devastating news of terminal illness is heartbreaking. The last thing you need to worry about 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 the council is committed to doing all it can to alleviate it in the short term, and build ways out of poverty in the long term.

“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.”

It’s a policy town hall bosses worked on with charity Marie Curie, whose senior policy manager said he ‘hoped’ other local authorities would replicate the policy.

Jamie Thunder said: “The end of life should be a time to focus on what really matters – but for too many people, it’s dominated by financial difficulty as their income drops and costs rise.

“We’re therefore delighted that Manchester City Council are taking this pioneering step, which will make a real difference to people with a terminal illness at the time they need it most. We hope other councils in the north west and across the country will follow suit, and help to ensure that no-one dies in poverty.”

To see if Greater Manchester’s other nine councils will follow suit, the Local Democracy Reporting Service asked each authority what its plans are.
Manchester

The new policy says a household will have nothing to pay if a medic believes one resident at the address — a child or adult — has fewer than 12 months to live. Support will be in place until the date the person in question passes away.

Bolton
Bolton council did not confirm it had a specific ‘terminal illness’ exemption, but said people in those circumstances could apply for discretionary relief — the same scheme Manchester is using to give a 100pc discount.
A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “We have a Council Tax Discretionary Relief Scheme for residents suffering financial hardship.
“Cases are considered based on individual circumstances.”

Bury
Bury council does not offer a terminal illness write-off, but said it would look at the proposal in the future.
A Bury council spokesperson said: “Whilst discretionary council tax exemptions or write offs for terminally ill residents are not currently offered in Bury, we are currently looking at a number of options regarding future council tax support for our residents.
“Any options that the council wish to progress with would form part of our budget plans for the next financial year, and therefore approval would be sought from full council next February with a view to commencing next April.”

Rochdale
rochdale-council>Rochdale council’s cabinet member for finance said the terminal illness exemption was an ‘interesting idea’ they can look at in the future.
Coun Carol Wardle said in a statement: “This is an interesting new idea that we would be open to looking at in the future.
“We understand this is a challenging time for many people and we offer a wide range of financial support for low income families, and other groups like care leavers.
“With funding from the Department for Work and Pensions we are investing £4.1 million to support households most in need, including food vouchers, emergency supermarket and fuel vouchers, help with energy costs, council tax, essential household items and much more.”

Oldham
Oldham council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, Coun Abdul Jabbar, said it does not have a specific terminal illness policy, but the authority would not pursue arrears from someone facing the end of their life.
He said in a statement: “While we do not have a formal blanket policy, in practice it is extremely unlikely that we would pursue Council Tax arrears from someone who is terminally ill, provided we are aware of their circumstances. I believe this aligns with the practices of most local authorities.”

Tameside
Tameside council said it will examine what Manchester has done, and consider individual cases when pursuing arrears.

A Tameside council spokesperson said: “We will look in more detail at what Manchester have introduced with Marie Curie as part of our policy review. We are committed to collecting Council Tax in a balanced, ethical, supportive, and timely manner.

“When deciding whether or not to pursue payment of council tax, we will always consider people’s individual circumstances. Our officers follow our policies and procedures which make recommendations regarding collection if a resident is terminally ill.”

Stockport
Stockport council said it will ‘explore’ policies to help vulnerable residents.

A spokesperson for Stockport council said: “We are committed to supporting residents facing the most challenging circumstances, including those with terminal illnesses.

“We offer a range of council tax discounts and support through our Council Tax Support Scheme and we review claims on a case-by-case basis to make sure we can get the right support to our residents.

“We will continue to explore how we can ensure our policies best meet the needs of our most vulnerable residents.”

Trafford
Trafford council said it will review including a terminal illness policy.

A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “We are committed to providing support to its residents in need and we therefore provide Council Tax support for residents in certain circumstances.

“While we do not currently consider terminal illness under our existing policy, this may be reviewed in the future.

“For further information on our current criteria, please visit our council tax support webpage.”

Salford
Salford is prepared to work with Marie Curie to understand how it can help people facing hardship.

A spokesperson for Salford City Council said: “We are committed to providing support to our residents who were recently consulted on our new

council tax reduction scheme. This will play a vital role in alleviating financial pressures for vulnerable households and has been created to provide a fairer and more flexible income-banded scheme which supports those in need, in line with our priority to tackle poverty and inequality.

“We would consider financial hardship caused by a terminal illness when considering an application for discretionary council tax support, although we do not currently have a policy to specifically commit to support people diagnosed with a terminal illness. This may be reviewed in the future.

“We would welcome working with Marie Curie to understand the issues faced by those experiencing poverty as a result of a terminal illness and sharing information about our Betteroff Engage service as we evolve our offer to maximise support for residents when they face challenges.”

Wigan
Wigan council does not have a specific terminal policy, but says its existing support is available for people with illnesses.
A Wigan council spokesperson said: “Through the Household Support Fund, we offer a range of support options for people with chronic disease- a long-term condition that can be controlled but not cured. Access to this support does not require a terminal diagnosis.
“It can include a monthly support package, a one-off support payment, access to lower cost appliances and more. Anyone in need can find out more on our website here: Household Support Fund.”