Council Tax exemption for terminally ill residents on low incomes

Residents in Blackburn with Darwen who are living with a terminal illness and receiving Council Tax Support due to being on a low income may now be eligible for additional help with their council tax bill. 

This comes following a decision by Blackburn with Darwen Council to introduce support through Section 13A discretionary powers. 

The scheme is designed to support residents who are approaching the end of their life and who are believed to have 12 months or less to live, helping to ease some of the financial pressures faced by households during an extremely difficult time.  

Eligibility will be linked to entitlement to the Council Tax Support scheme, which assesses people on low income. 

The decision follows action taken by a number of councils across England, including Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol, after calls from end of life charity Marie Curie for councils to consider additional financial support for people living with a terminal illness. 

Councillor Vicky McGurk, Executive Member for Finance and Governance at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: 

We know that residents facing the final stages of a terminal illness are often dealing with significant emotional and financial pressures at an incredibly difficult time for them and their families. 

This support is intended to help residents on the lowest incomes by reducing one source of worry and providing some financial reassurance where it is needed most. 

By using our discretionary Section 13A powers, Blackburn with Darwen Council is ensuring eligible residents can access additional council tax support in a compassionate and sensitive way.

Toby North, Head of Public Affairs at Marie Curie, has said that 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 associated with a terminal illness rise: 

We’re delighted that Blackburn with Darwen Council is among some of the first in the country to provide specific support with council tax to people facing a terminal illness.  

We now urgently need more councils to adopt a similar approach, to help more people live out their last months, weeks and days without needing to worry about their bills.  

We hope to expand our campaign further, with more councils across England following suit to ease the financial burden on people at the end of life.

There’s more information about council tax exemptions for people with terminal illnesses on the Blackburn with Darwen Council website.