EditorBRIDGEND: Woman sentenced after falsely claiming more than £4,000 in council tax support
A Bridgend woman has been sentenced after falsely pocketing more than £4,000 in council tax support she wasn’t entitled to – because she never told the council she’d started work at Tesco.
Gail Watkinson, of Brackla, Bridgend, pleaded guilty to two offences at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court in February – one for failing to declare her own new job at the supermarket, and another for failing to declare that her son had started working there too.
The fiddle ran from March 2020 to May 2022 – more than two years – during which time Watkinson received £4,250.72 in Council Tax Reduction she had no entitlement to.
At a sentencing hearing in April, she was handed a 12-month community order. She must complete 40 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity.
She was also ordered to pay £750 in costs and a £95 victim surcharge.
Bridgend County Borough Council brought the prosecution under Welsh regulations designed to detect and tackle Council Tax Reduction fraud.
Carys Lord, the council’s Corporate Director for Finance and Transformation, said the support was there for people who genuinely need it. “Instances like this take away valuable public resources from those who need help the most,” she said.
Lord warned that the council would always pursue cases of deliberate fraud. “Those who deliberately mislead the system will face the consequences,” she added.
Council Tax Reduction is a means-tested benefit which reduces the amount households pay based on their income. Recipients must tell the council promptly if their income or circumstances change.
Failing to do so – particularly when the change is significant, like starting a new job – can lead to overpayments and, in deliberate cases, prosecution.
The council said it regularly reviews claims and works with partner agencies to detect fraud across its benefit schemes.
#Brackla #BridgendCountyBoroughCouncil #CouncilTax #CouncilTaxFraud #CouncilTaxSupport #Tesco
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