Burnham-On-Sea MP Ashley Fox has called on the Prime Minister to provide urgent financial support for Weston Hospicecare, which is facing a £139,000 annual rise in costs due to the Government’s recent National Insurance increase.
Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Ashley highlighted the impact of the Chancellor’s “jobs tax” on the hospice, which provides vital care for people with life-limiting illnesses across the Burnham area.
He said: “Weston Hospicecare provides an invaluable service for constituents with a terminal illness. The hospice now faces an increased national insurance bill of £139,000 a year as a result of the Chancellor’s jobs tax.”
“The Prime Minister will know that the money he has announced for capital expenditure cannot be used for day-to-day running expenses and that the money he has announced for children’s hospices will not benefit Weston Hospicecare, so what help can he offer the hospice as it struggles under the tax burden imposed by his Government?”
In response, the Prime Minister said the Government was “putting in the support that we can for hospices,” and pointed to funding set aside in the Budget for the NHS as being “absolutely crucial” in relation to that.
Following the exchange, Ashley Fox said: “Hospices like Weston Hospicecare are lifelines for families facing the most difficult moments imaginable. They rely heavily on donations, volunteers, and local goodwill.”
”Forcing them to shoulder an extra £139,000 in National Insurance contributions is deeply unfair and risks diverting precious resources away from patient care.”
Hospices are facing rising National Insurance (NI) costs due to a 2024 Autumn Budget increase from 13.8% to 15% on employer contributions, effective from April 2025.
This increase has added financial pressure to hospice charities. The NHS was exempt from this increase, but charities and private health providers were not.
Weston Hospicecare provides specialist medical treatment and emotional support to patients and their families, helping them navigate some of life’s most challenging moments.
