![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_Mother-and-son-cared-for-at-nursing-home-together.jpg\")
(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\nManchester council has made the move – will the other nine?(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n
This week, Manchester council announced it was making a \u2018pioneering\u2019 move by writing off council tax bills for terminally ill Mancs.<\/p>\n
The new policy says a household will have nothing to pay if a medic believes one resident at the address \u2014 a child or adult \u2014 has fewer than 12 months to live. Support will be in place until the date the person in question passes away.<\/p>\n
Manchester\u2019s policy was brought in to cut-down stress for families facing a bereavement, according to Bev Craig, council leader.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo 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.<\/p>\n
“That\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a policy town hall bosses worked on with charity Marie Curie, whose senior policy manager said he \u2018hoped\u2019 other local authorities would replicate the policy.<\/p>\n
Jamie Thunder said: \u201cThe end of life should be a time to focus on what really matters \u2013 but for too many people, it\u2019s dominated by financial difficulty as their income drops and costs rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
To see if Greater Manchester\u2019s other nine councils will follow suit, the Local Democracy Reporting Service asked each authority what its plans are.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1751183111_82_0_Headline.jpg\")
(Image: ABNM Photography)Manchester<\/p>\n
The new policy says a household will have nothing to pay if a medic believes one resident at the address \u2014 a child or adult \u2014 has fewer than 12 months to live. Support will be in place until the date the person in question passes away.<\/p>\n
Bolton<\/p>\n
Bolton<\/a> council did not confirm it had a specific \u2018terminal illness\u2019 exemption, but said people in those circumstances could apply for discretionary relief \u2014 the same scheme Manchester is using to give a 100pc discount.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: \u201cWe have a Council Tax Discretionary Relief Scheme for residents suffering financial hardship.<\/p>\n \u201cCases are considered based on individual circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n Bury<\/p>\n Bury<\/a> council does not offer a terminal illness write-off, but said it would look at the proposal in the future.<\/p>\n A Bury council spokesperson said: \u201cWhilst discretionary council tax exemptions or write offs for terminally ill residents are not currently offered in Bury, we are currently looking at a number of options regarding future council tax support for our residents.<\/p>\n \u201cAny options that the council wish to progress with would form part of our budget plans for the next financial year, and therefore approval would be sought from full council next February with a view to commencing next April.\u201d<\/p>\n Rochdale<\/p>\n rochdale<\/a>-council>Rochdale council<\/a>\u2019s cabinet member for finance said the terminal illness exemption was an \u2018interesting idea\u2019 they can look at in the future.<\/p>\n Coun Carol Wardle said in a statement: “This is an interesting new idea that we would be open to looking at in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand this is a challenging time for many people and we offer a wide range of financial support for low income families, and other groups like care leavers.<\/p>\n \u201cWith funding from the Department for Work and Pensions we are investing \u00a34.1 million to support households most in need, including food vouchers, emergency supermarket and fuel vouchers, help with energy costs, council tax, essential household items and much more.”<\/p>\n Oldham<\/a> council\u2019s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, Coun Abdul Jabbar, said it does not have a specific terminal illness policy, but the authority would not pursue arrears from someone facing the end of their life.<\/p>\n He said in a statement: \u201cWhile we do not have a formal blanket policy, in practice it is extremely unlikely that we would pursue Council Tax arrears from someone who is terminally ill, provided we are aware of their circumstances. I believe this aligns with the practices of most local authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n Tameside<\/p>\n Tameside<\/a> council said it will examine what Manchester has done, and consider individual cases when pursuing arrears.<\/p>\n A Tameside council spokesperson said: \u201cWe will look in more detail at what Manchester have introduced with Marie Curie as part of our policy review. We are committed to collecting Council Tax in a balanced, ethical, supportive, and timely manner.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen deciding whether or not to pursue payment of council tax, we will always consider people\u2019s individual circumstances. Our officers follow our policies and procedures which make recommendations regarding collection if a resident is terminally ill.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information on council tax in Tameside, see here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stockport<\/p>\n Stockport<\/a> council said it will \u2018explore\u2019 policies to help vulnerable residents.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Stockport council<\/a> said: “We are committed to supporting residents facing the most challenging circumstances, including those with terminal illnesses.<\/p>\n “We offer a range of council tax discounts and support through our Council Tax Support Scheme and we review claims on a case-by-case basis to make sure we can get the right support to our residents.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to explore how we can ensure our policies best meet the needs of our most vulnerable residents.”<\/p>\n Trafford<\/a> council said it will review including a terminal illness policy.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: \u201cWe are committed to providing support to its residents in need and we therefore provide Council Tax support for residents in certain circumstances.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we do not currently consider terminal illness under our existing policy, this may be reviewed in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cFor further information on our current criteria, please visit our council tax support webpage.\u201d<\/p>\n Salford<\/p>\n Salford<\/a> is prepared to work with Marie Curie to understand how it can help people facing hardship.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Salford City Council said: \u201cWe are committed to providing support to our residents who were recently consulted on our new council tax reduction scheme. This will play a vital role in alleviating financial pressures for vulnerable households and has been created to provide a fairer and more flexible income-banded scheme which supports those in need, in line with our priority to tackle poverty and inequality.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would consider financial hardship caused by a terminal illness when considering an application for discretionary council tax support, although we do not currently have a policy to specifically commit to support people diagnosed with a terminal illness. This may be reviewed in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would welcome working with Marie Curie to understand the issues faced by those experiencing poverty as a result of a terminal illness and sharing information about our Betteroff Engage service as we evolve our offer to maximise support for residents when they face challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n For further information on BetterOff Salford, head online.<\/p>\n Wigan<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_Councillor-Carol-Wardle.jpg\")
(Image: Rochdale council)Oldham<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_Councillor-Abdul-Jabbar.jpg\")
(Image: Oldham Council)Trafford<\/p>\n