The Council Motion below comes from Sheffield Liberal Democrats. It supports the Marie Curie campaign to provide Council Tax relief to residents with a terminal illness.
This Council notes that:
- In 2023, 111,000 people in the UK died in poverty, representing 18% of all those who died in the UK that year.
- [LOCAL HOSPICE NAME(S) and other providers work across [AREA NAME] provide high-quality end-of-life care for terminally ill people and their families.
- In 2023, 28% of working-age people died in poverty, compared to 16% of pensioners in the UK.
- Women and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately likely to die in poverty.
- Some councils in the UK have moved to reduce council tax for terminally ill people with less than one year to live
This Council believes that:
- The last months, weeks and days of life should be a time to focus on making memories with family and friends and living well for as long as one can.
- Too often, financial pressures add further worry and strain to the end of life for terminally ill people, their carers and families.
- Energy costs can increase dramatically for someone living with a terminal illness.
- The Council should do all it can to support [AREA NAME] residents at the end of their lives.
- The Council’s Warm Homes programme, which supports people to heat their homes efficiently, should consider how it can support those with a terminal illness.
Council resolves to:
- Thank all who support local residents at the end of their lives to be as comfortable as possible.
- Ask [APPROPRIATE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE] to add to its work programme a review of the support that [COUNCIL NAME] provides to those with a terminal illness.
- Ask the Executive to introduce a Council Tax support scheme to support households that include someone living with a terminal illness.
- Write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, urging them to back Marie Curie’s proposal to support terminally ill people with early state pension access
Sources:
Council tax relief for terminally ill residents | Marie Curie
h420-dying-in-poverty-local-authorities-3rd-pp.pdf