Wakefield Council is a large Multi Service Organisation that pays out a huge sum of money each year in Housing and Council Tax Benefits.

This year we paid approx £84 million and there is always the risk that dishonest people will try to defraud the Council by claiming Benefits they are not entitled to.
We have an Anti Fraud Strategy for Housing and Council Tax Benefits to combat.

See “Downloads” for a copy of this

During the Financial Year end 31st march 2008 we discovered that £542,748 had been overpaid due to deliberate false claims for Housing and Council Tax Benefits
Money which the Council could spend on providing services in other areas for people in real need.

In cases of serious Fraud Wakefield Council has the Authority to take people to Court or impose various Sanctions such as Formal Cautions or Administration Penalties when offences have been committed.

Last year we prosecuted or formally sanctioned 245 people who had been found to have made false claims for Benefits.

Wakefield Council works in partnership with various agencies such as the Department for Works and Pensions, Her Majesty’s Revenues and Customs, Her Majesty’s Court Services and all West Yorkshire Councils to detect and investigate Fraud across different departments and boundaries.

Examples of this are two cases recently investigated jointly by Wakefield Council and the Department for Works and Pensions when it was established that a local woman who lived in the Wakefield District defrauded the Department of Works and Pensions of £ 48,883 in Income Support and Wakefield Council of £20,686 in Housing and Council Tax Benefits by failing to declare her partner was living with her. She was prosecuted in Leeds Crown Court and Judge Scott Wolstenholme imposed a prison sentence in order to deter other people from committing similar offences.

The second cases was again prosecuted but this time in Pontefract Magistrates Court when a local woman pleaded guilty to defrauding the Department of Works and Pensions of £7885 in Income support and Wakefield Council £5991 in Housing and Council Tax Benefits and was fined and received a two year Rehabilitation order.

Not only does Wakefield Council have the Authority to prosecute people who commit Benefit Fraud but can also prosecute organisations who obstruct there Investigations by failing to provide information and details of wages paid to individuals.

A local employer was prosecuted in Pontefract Magistrates Court in March of this year for failing to provide wages details requested by Wakefield Council as part of an investigation and was fined £500

With your help we aim to detect more Fraud and save more money this year

If you suspect someone you know is making a fraudulent claim for benefit then let us know. You do not have to give your name and any information you give will be confidential.