Council acts on 45 benefit cheats (From Redhill And Reigate Life)

Council acts on 45 benefit cheats

1:37pm Monday 6th July 2009

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Reigate and Banstead Borough Council has taken legal action against 45 benefit cheats who wrongly claimed a total of £75,000.

The benefit cheats were detected and action was taken against them by the council's Benefit Fraud Team during the last financial year.

Of the 45, nine fraudsters were successfully prosecuted in court, all resulting in guilty verdicts.

Twenty-one of the 45 received formal cautions and 15 were fined administrative penalties.

The types of fraud included undeclared partners, undeclared work or pensions, fraudulent tenancies, and undeclared savings and property.

Since April, the Benefit Fraud Team has successfully prosecuted a further two cases, given nine formal cautions and issued one fine.

Miss Emily Ncube, 54, of Gatton Park Road, Redhill, pleaded guilty to dishonestly failing to declare she was working whilst claiming benefit totalling £4,860.44.

Redhill Magistrates sentenced her to 40 hours community service and ordered her to pay £330 costs.

George Brash, 66, of Bell Street, Reigate, was prosecuted for failing to declare he was receiving a retirement pension whilst claiming housing benefit totalling £655.43.

Mr Brash, who had previously received a formal caution for a similar offence in March 2007, was sentenced to 30 months conditional discharge by Redhill magistrates, and ordered to pay £300 costs.

The council’s benefit fraud investigators went as far afield as Chichester to track down a fraudster who had moved away.

Investigation officers have a range of investigative tools at their disposal and work closely with Government agencies such as the Department for Work and Pensions.

Coun Victor Broad, borough council executive member for finance and assets, said: “The council’s Benefit Fraud Team take positive action to prevent, detect and investigate benefit fraud in our community to ensure people are not claiming taxpayers’ money that they are not entitled to, and benefit is only paid to people in genuine need.”

He said: “In most cases the fraud is a deliberate attempt to claim more money. “However, if you are claiming benefit or thinking of claiming benefit, it is important that the information you provide on your application is correct or, that if you have any changes in circumstances, that you inform the Benefits Team straight away. “Otherwise you could be claiming money to which you are not entitled and could face prosecution. “In all cases, the council takes stringent steps to recover all of the fraudulent overpayment of benefit as well as any costs or fines from the claimant.”

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