More than a third of people of working age in Bradford were living in poverty at the time of their death, according to a Marie Curie report.

The charity, which campaigns for end-of-life care, said its figures suggested the town was among the 20 poorest council areas in the UK.

According to its Dying in Poverty 2024 report, 28.9% of pensioners who died in 2023 in Bradford were also in poverty, the fourth highest area in the country.

The government said special rules were in place to “ensure that people at the end of their lives can claim the support they deserve in a timely manner”.

Sarah Holmes, Marie Curie’s chief medical officer, said the report’s findings showed Bradford was a community “where people face many financial challenges”.

Ms Holmes, based in Bradford, said: “Bradford is a great place.

“It is a country rich in heritage and cultural diversity, but unfortunately also rich in diversity from a financial point of view.

“There are many disadvantaged communities.”

She said the city’s economic history, including the demise of the wool industry, contributed to that.

According to the reportAccording to a Loughborough University study, Middlesbrough had the highest number of working age people dying in poverty (44.5%), while Bradford was ranked 16th (35.3%) and Hull 15th (35 .4%).

It says that in the UK, 110,000 people died in poverty in 2023, compared to 93,000 in 2019.

Women and people from ethnic minorities were also found to be particularly affected.

According to figures from Bradford Council51% of people living in the city identified as female, while 56.7% of the population identified as White British.

Phil Mawhinney, Age UK’s head of policy, said: “Poverty in later life undoubtedly reflects people’s experiences in working life.

“People have to take time off work and it’s often women because they are more likely to take time off work to care for their children or family.

“When people take time off work, they don’t build as many retirement records.”

Marie Curie calls on the government to guarantee people of working age with less than 12 months of life an income equivalent to a pension and to introduce a social tariff to reduce the energy bills of people at the end of their lives.

In the recent Budget, the government announced that the winter fuel payment would only be paid to those in receipt of pension credit or other means-tested support.

He also announced an increase in the national minimum wage and an increase in national insurance contributions for employers.

A government spokesperson said: “No one should suffer financial hardship due to a health problem. This is why special rules have been put in place to ensure that people at the end of their lives can claim the support they deserve in a timely manner.

They added: “At the same time, we are extending the Household Support Fund, increasing benefits and the State Pension, while more than a million households are expected to be lifted out of fuel poverty thanks to the biggest potential improvement in domestic energy standards of history. »

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