Getting the money back

North Ayrshire Council’s benefit fraud team have been named as one of the top three in the UK.

The anti-fraud team have reached the final of the prestigious Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation Awards as Scotland’s sole representative.

Since 2003/04 the team have secured more than £2.1m in repayments of benefits with the number of successful cases brought against fraudsters increasing every year since 2003.

The six-strong team were chosen as finalists at the finals to be held in Harrogate at the end of September because of their strengths in a number of areas including performance, training, administration and investigations.

Meanwhile, Liverpool City Council has hailed a crackdown on people fraudulently claiming the single person discount on their tax bill, claiming it has generated at least £150,000 in extra income.

The local authority recently instigated a series of checks, including cross-referencing of credit details, and sent letters to homes suspected of having more than one occupant. This saw more than 600 people cancel their discount.

Liverpool said a further 3,000 cases are under review, with a potential to generate at least £50,000 in extra income.

Cllr Paul Brant, deputy leader of the council, said he made “no apology for taking a hard line on people who try and cheat as they are stealing from other residents and drawing valuable resources away from frontline services such as teaching, social work, street cleansing and protecting the vulnerable”.

Brant added that the council had instructed Liverpool Direct, which runs its revenues and benefits department, to use “every available measure” to make sure the authority gets the monies it is owed.

He said: “In today's tough times we have to drive down costs and be more efficient so we can continue to provide essential services.”