Fraud

We are committed to detecting and preventing benefit fraud.

The types of fraud we deal with include:

not declaring earnings or other income
not declaring a property or capital
not declaring a partner you live with
not declaring a change of address
not living at a property
making a false application for housing
subletting a council property
falsely claiming a Council Tax discount or exemption

Report benefit fraud

To report benefit fraud, use our online form below.

To report benefit fraud anonymously, you can call 0800 854 440.

If you are suspected of fraud

If enquiries about you do not match the information we hold, officers may visit or ask you to attend an interview to discuss the matter.

If officers believe there may be serious fraud, officers will investigate your claim in more detail. They may gather information about you and may contact other organisations that hold your details. These may include:

banks and building societies
the Department of Work and Pensions
HMRC (the tax office)
your utility providers

Options available to the council

Where the investigation leads to an overpayment, you will have to pay it back in full.

Where the fraud is considered serious, we may:

issue a penalty
issue an Administrative Penalty
prosecute in the courts

For full details of our Council Tax Reduction Scheme Prosecutions and Penalties Policy, download the document below.

Council Tax Reduction Scheme Prosecutions and Penalty Policy (PDF, 172 KB)