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Councils crack down on North East fraudsters

FRAUD-BUSTING councils in the North East detected 7,700 frauds worth £5 million according to a new report.

Councils in the North East uncovered 7,700 frauds totalling £5 million last year from a total of almost £135 million across the country.

Altogether England’s councils detected around £99 million worth of benefit fraud, over £15 million worth of council tax fraud, and £21 million worth of other types of fraud including false insurance claims, and abuse of the disabled parking ‘blue badge’ scheme.

Also, in a record-breaking year for tenancy fraud detection, almost 1,600 social housing properties that had been unlawfully sub-let were recovered.

But it is estimated that as many as 50,000 houses and flats countrywide may still be occupied illegally.

Chairman of the Audit Commission, Michael O’Higgins said: ’Preventing and detecting fraud has never been more vital. Every pound saved can be used to strengthen public services.

“Cheats must not be allowed to block legitimate tenants from social housing, or divert other resources away from those in need.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .