East Lancashire local authority set to exempt terminally ill residents from council tax

Blackburn with Darwen Council unanimously approved the concession for those predicted to have less than a year to live at its full meeting on Thursday night.

The move follows Manchester City Council taking a similar step.

Terminally ill people in that authority with less than a year to live will no longer have to pay council tax.

Proposing the motion on the issue Conservative group leader Cllr John Slater said: “When I came across this I thought ‘What a great idea’.

“We shouldn’t be afraid to think this is something that should be done.

“I know there may be difficulties and I know there may be some technical things that we need to do.

“I think it would be nice as a moral thing to do to be the first council in Lancashire to do adopt this and only the second council in the country.

“Know there is a cost but I don’t think it is a great cost and I think the people of this borough would be happy to take that cost.

“I would really hope that everyone would support this.”

Council leader Cllr Phil Riley said: “In principle we absolutely agree.

“It looks a worthy idea.

“There are clearly some difficulties with it.

“My over-riding concern is that if we are not careful it gets some of the council officers into some fairly intrusive conversations which will be uncomfortable.

“The very obvious one is that what do you do if someone believed they were going to die and then didn’t and whether you go back.

“There are some practical issues but  I am absolutely clear we can look at this.

“This isn’t a party political issue. It would be a good thing if we could find a way of doing it.

“It helps people at a very serious moment in their lives.

“So I am happy to take this on board and see how we could make it work.”

Cllr Mustafe Desai, leader of the opposition 4BwD group, said: “We wholeheartedly welcome this motion. It is a vital and humane proposal.”