Benefit fraud investigations
In its campaign against benefit fraud, during the past financial
year, the Council carried out seven successful prosecutions and 57
cases have been subject to other sanctions of official cautions or
administrative penalties.
In 2007/08, the Council has sought to remind and encourage
anyone in receipt of benefits to report change in their financial
circumstances themselves. This includes notifying Broxbourne
Council of any change to benefit entitlement awarded by the
Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). This more pro-active
approach has worked successfully alongside fraud investigations and
has led to 64 sanctions, including seven successful prosecutions,
six Administrative Penalties and 51 cautions. Administrative
penalties involve accepting an additional 30 per cent penalty of
the overpaid benefit as an alternative to prosecution.
All claims for housing and council tax benefits are scrutinised
and then investigated when there is a suspicion of fraud of any
type, including undeclared partners, income, private occupational
pensions and changes to amounts of benefit received.
Fraud investigations in 2007/08 uncovered in excess of £240,000
benefit which has been overpaid to people not entitled to the
benefits they were claiming. Some cases involved pensioners
who had failed to declare assets held in undeclared Bank accounts
resulting in no entitlement to benefits claimed, including one case
with an overpayment of over £45,000. These cases normally
arise from Government-driven data matching exercises. Another
case arose as a result of a joint investigation with the DWP
whereby a person claiming council tax benefit had failed to declare
from 1996 that he owned commercial premises and rent from the flat
above, creating an overpayment of over £10,000 plus DWP benefits.
As a result of a further investigation by a Financial Investigation
Unit, he has been ordered to repay all benefits including the cost
of free school meals claimed from Hertfordshire County Council.
Should he default on this payment he will return to the Crown Court
to receive a sentence of imprisonment but will still have to repay
all money owing.
The Council would like to thank the public for their continuing
support in the fight against benefit fraud over the last
year. At the same time, the Council is anxious to ensure that
benefit goes to those who need help and in publicising fraud
results does not seek to discourage genuine claimants.
Benefit fraud can be reported in confidence by calling the hotline
on 01992 785514. Anyone can report changes in their
circumstances to the benefit office on 01992 785503.