Councillor wants tougher laws on benefit fraud

AN Emonton man has received 100 hours of community work after fraudulently claiming more than £6,500 in housing and council tax benefits.

Ekrem Polat was wrongly claiming benefits after his Jobseeker's Allowance ended. He was even chasing up cheques knowing his allowance had ended.

Mr Polat was sentenced after pleading guilty to a 12-month community order. He will undertake 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £475 costs over the next 16 months.

Enfield Councillor Ertan Hurer said a tougher approach from the Government on benefit cheats is needed:

There is going to be even more pressure on public finances, which will make it even more important that we ensure precious resources are not wasted on those who cheat on benefits.

I think we will need to get tougher laws on benefit cheats to send a clear signal out there to protect tax payers’ hard earned money and those in genuine need.

htp Dave