Council urged to drop tax for terminally ill

A local authority is being urged to consider exempting terminally ill people from paying council tax.

Cumberland Council is being asked to review and adopt the measure for residents with an SR1 medical report in the 2027/28 financial year.

The question, from Labour councillor Jeanette Whalen, is set for consideration at the council meeting on Tuesday, 8 September.

A number of local authorities have used discretionary powers to put in place the exemption, including Manchester, Liverpool and Gateshead.

In her question to Barbara Cannon, Portfolio Holder for Financial Planning and Assets, Whalen states she was she was made aware of cases where individuals who have worked throughout their adult lives, paying National Insurance contributions and contributing to workplace pensions, receive a terminal diagnosis before reaching state pension age.

"As a result, they may never receive the state pension they spent decades contributing towards, and yet they can still be required to pay full council tax -despite having an SR1 medical report confirming a terminal illness and a limited life expectancy," she said.

"While some council tax reductions and exemptions exist, these are not specifically designed to support all terminally ill residents, and access can be inconsistent."

Whalen is asking if Labour-led Cumberland Council will commit to reviewing and adopting the exemption or explain why it "believes such support should not be made available to some of our most vulnerable residents at the end of their lives?".

When the issue was first raised, council chiefs confirmed they were considering changes to taxation following resident Cynthia D'Souza's campaign to spare people with a terminal illness from anxiety about council tax.

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