Manchester City Council Takes Pioneering Step to Tackle End of Life Poverty
By Jill Dando News
Carried out as part of a larger plan to support the most vulnerable residents in Manchester, the Council has looked at as many ways as possible to help those who we know have been struggling over recent years.
Marie Curie’s recent ‘Dying in Poverty’ report found that in Manchester around 42% of working age and 30% of pension age residents die in poverty.
Addressing this profoundly important issue is at the heart of the Council’s strategy, with a number of key changes being made in recent years directed at tackling the root causes of poverty, and ensuring that people do not slip back into it.
This new proposal sets 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.
This form is completed by a clinician which confirms a person has a progressive disease, and consequently their patient is expected to pass away within a 12-month period.
Using DCTP the Council will make up the difference of any shortfall in CTS 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.
Steps will also be in place to retain the discount for the remainder of the financial year in the event of a person’s passing, to provide additional support for their family.
It is estimated that this scheme would support around 175 residents in Manchester, the majority of which would be of working age.
In addition to this change in policy, a great deal of work has already been carried out to alleviate the worst of the cost-of-living crisis for Mancunians.
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council 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.
“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.”
Jamie Thunder, Senior Policy Manager for Financial Security at Marie Curie, 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.”
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