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Benefit fraud
<P>The Council has a dedicated anti-fraud team, which is responsible for the prevention and detection of fraud within Housing Benefits and Council Tax Benefits. </P>
We use various methods to achieve our goals, some of which are listed below
- Ongoing residency checks - To ensure that people are living in the properties for which they are claiming benefit for.
- Close liaison with other agencies such as the Benefits Agency, Other Councils, the police, Inland Revenue and the Post Office.
- Regular Data Matching exercises - This is the cross checking of information held by Lewes District Council with that of other departments within the Council, other Councils, the Benefits Agency for Pensions, Industrial Injuries Benefit, Invalidity Benefit, Income Support and job Seekers Allowance and the Inland Revenue.
The aim of all these checks is to make sure that Housing and Council tax benefits are paid to those who really need it!
The Section has investigated over 400 cases and made over 2000 visits over the past year. These have resulted in savings to the Council and ultimately to the taxpayer of £160,000. The Council does have a prosecution policy in place and will not hesitate in using the various options open to it. It has won every case that it has taken to court so far this financial year.
If you suspect anyone is committing a fraud please call the Fraud Section with as much information as possible. The type of information required is:
Name of Employer (if known),
Hours of working,
Type of car driven,
Description of claimant and partner,
Known nickname's, etc.
The more information the Council has, the more likely it is able to achieve a positive outcome.
During office hours, 8.30 am - 5.00 pm, please call 01273 484064 to speak to an officer. Calls can also be made to our Fraud Hotline answering machine on 01273 484067 which is available 24 hours a day. Alternatively, follow the link below or email us using the address above.
