Fraudbusters tackle housing benefit scams costing £350k in Brighton and Hove

Housing benefit fraudbusters have identified £350,000 in dishonestly obtained overpayments in Brighton and Hove in the current financial year.

A further £108,000 in fraudulent claims has also been spotted after Brighton and Hove City Council staff took part in the National Fraud Initiative.

But the council will be fortunate to recover much of the taxpayers’ money of which it was defrauded.

The council’s Audit and Standards Committee was told that the maximum level of repayment obtained across all councils was only 40 per cent.

Unusually though, five properties being used by fraudsters have been returned to the council’s housing stock since the start of April.

A report to councillors on the audit committee said that in the current financial year 18 people had been prosecuted for housing benefit fraud and one had been cautioned.

Eight others had been given “administration penalties” or fines. These are set at 30 per cent of the amount that was overpaid.

The audit committee was told that staff tackling corporate fraud, housing benefit fraud and tenancy fraud were all now working in one team after a restructuring.