Thousands paid to cheats
MORE than £120,000 in overpayments were made to benefit fraud cheats in Ipswich last year, it emerged today.
MORE than £120,000 in overpayments were made to benefit fraud cheats in Ipswich last year, it emerged today.
New figures show that between April 2007 and March 2008, Ipswich Borough Council is aware of handing out £128,146 more than it should have in benefit payments.
The true figure, including overpayments yet to be detected could run far higher.
A report into the issue shows that a total of 433 cases were opened by investigators in the 12-month period which led to 20 prosecutions and 52 official cautions. Three prosecutions were unsuccessful.
John Carnall, deputy leader of Ipswich Borough Council, said benefit fraud occurs for a variety of reasons.
These include the council not being informed of a change in circumstances of a person claiming benefit or an error in calculations by council staff.
Most Read
- 1 Plans for 440 homes and visitor centre in Ipswich Garden Suburb submitted
- 2 Suffolk rail services affected after person hit by a train
- 3 Most desirable places to live in Ipswich according to estate agents
- 4 Jailed in Suffolk: The criminals locked up so far in 2022
- 5 OPINION: Free sporting activities for children return to Ipswich this summer
- 6 Woman 'froze' after seeing masked men with machetes in Ipswich
- 7 Woman who stole £24k from school and football club to face sentence
- 8 Man suffers fractured eye socket after attack outside Ipswich bus station
- 9 Ipswich Music Day 2022: All you need to know
- 10 Designer handbag stolen after car window smashed in Ipswich
He said the authority has made good progress in eradicating overpayment errors in the past two years, improving accuracy from 93 per cent to 97 pc.
However he said there are still people who attempt to con the system by continuing to claim cash they are not entitled to when their circumstances change.
“”The bulk of overpayments are really down to people not telling us when their circumstances change.
“Most people tell us but often as immediately as would be helpful.
“Some don't tell us at all and that's where fraud emerges.”
Mr Carnall said the fear is that with the current economic situation, more people will look to con the system as they struggle to make ends meet.
“We have already had signs that more people are looking for benefits than was the case a year ago.
“I would expect that figure to increase as the economic position gets worse.
“We are now in a period of zero economic growth at the moment and unemployment has gone up nationally and that is bound to have an impact on our benefit figures.”
Is enough done to catch benefit cheats? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
