'No one should spend their final months worrying about bills': Plan to spare terminally ill residents from paying council tax approved

In September 2025, Wakefield Council voted unanimously in favour of offering financial support to residents who had been diagnosed as having less than a year to live.

The authority’s cabinet agreed to implement the decision from the start of the next financial year, on April 1.

The exemption applies to any person, or any member of their household, who has received confirmation that they have a life expectancy of under 12 months.

Around 340 residents in the district potentially qualify for the discount at any given time.

David Pickersgill, cabinet member for resources, told a meeting on Tuesday (January 13): “We are doing this for everyone rather than means testing it.

“We accept that some people may get pension or insurance payouts on getting such a diagnosis.

“But almost everyone faces increased costs and we didn’t want people coming to terms with a really serious diagnosis thinking ‘do I qualify?’, and having to fill complex forms in.”

The maximum annual cost of awarding a full 100% discount to all qualifying residents was estimated to be £709,000.

Councillors of all parties last year backed a motion calling for the discount to be introduced.

The move came 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.

Hannah Drury, public affairs officer at Marie Curie, said: “With a significant proportion of terminally ill people relying on benefits as their main source of income, council tax relief can be a huge support for families facing financial hardship.

“We applaud Wakefield Council for taking steps towards this, and the councils who have already committed to providing council tax relief for dying people.

“These councils have set a powerful precedent for compassionate local governance, showing that practical policy change is possible.

“We urge all councils across the country to follow suit and encourage those who have passed supportive motions to act swiftly on their commitments to make real change.

“No one should spend their final months worrying about bills.”

Coun Pickersgill, who proposed the motion last year, said at the time: “Suspending council tax for terminally ill people means they will face one less financial burden during an already unimaginably difficult time.”

Seconding the motion at a full council meeting, councillor Daniel Wilton said: “Terminally ill people face unimaginable physical, emotional and financial burdens – council tax should not be one of them.

“This motion is not about charity.

“It is about dignity for those at the end of life.

“It is about recognising that those in their final months should not be worrying about bills, but spending precious time with their loved ones.

In June 2025, 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.

Other local authorities, including Burnley Council and Bristol City Council, also committed to introduce a terminally ill discount.