Pendle celebrates failure

Benefit fraud teams teams in Pendle are celebrating, we are told, after identifying more than £63,000 in ill-gotten gains in 2008-9. Pendle Council cautioned 24 people, imposed seven adminstrative penalties and undertook 13 successful prosecutions, up to the end of March.

This figure equates to a mere 0.3% of the total pad out on 6,542 claims for Housing Benefit over the financial year 2008/09. And action was taken against 44 people - that's just 0.7% of the total.

Should do better.