Benefit cheats defrauded £1 million
West Berkshire Council is taking action against those it catches.
However, courts often order cheats to repay huge sums at low rates, which means it can take decades to clear the debt.
In March 2008 Newbury magistrates gave a housing benefits cheat a conditional discharge and allowed him to keep £600 of his ill-gotten gains.
Nevertheless over the last two years West Berkshire Council has won several prosecutions and other formal enforcement actions against benefit fraudsters.
The culprits indulged in a range of offending from failing to notify the council and other authorities of relevant changes, such as changes to their income or changes to the people living with them, to an individual who had claimed £20,000 in benefits for two relatives, despite the fact they were both dead.
Janet Parlour of Willow Tree Glade, Calcot, was convicted at Reading Crown Court last December of five counts of fraud.
The 62-year-old had claimed her late cousin, Alan Robert’s housing benefit and her late father Charles Summers’ pension.
West Berkshire's Executive Member for Finance, Alan Law (Con, Basildon), said, "This sends a clear message that the council takes any kind of fraud very seriously. It will not hesitate to take legal action to bring fraudsters to justice."
However he admitted he had “not a clue” how much of the £1,084,223.44 the council had successfully clawed back, or how long it would take.
Meanwhile a convicted benefits cheat is due to be sentenced at Reading Crown Court next month.
Tracey Pembroke was convicted of dishonestly failing to notify West Berkshire Council and the Department for Works and Pensions that she was living with her partner between the February 17, 2002 and July 31, 2010.
This resulted in her being overpaid housing and council tax benefit of £89,270.24 and income support of £30,251.01 - a total overpayment of £119,521.25.