One in ten know someone making false claim on Council Tax

Brits are being urged to report fraud committed against the public purse as new research reveals one in 10 know someone dishonestly claiming a discount on their Council Tax Bill.

According to a poll from Cifas, the UK’s leading fraud prevention service, the figure rises to one in six in London.

Current rules mean any household with only one adult living at the address can claim a 25 per cent discount on their Council Tax Bill. As well as one 10 people admitted to knowing someone who had falsely claimed this discount over the last 12 months, the research found that 10 per cent of the adults surveyed didn’t view falsely claiming Single Person Discount as illegal, while one in 13 believed it was a ‘reasonable’ thing to do.

Local authorities’ spending power fell by 16 per cent between 2010 and 2020, with the pandemic leading to a further £11.9 billion financial burden. This means any fraud committed against councils reduces their ability to fund many of the services residents rely upon.

With council tax bills due to be sent out next month, Cifas is urging people that are aware of someone defrauding the council to speak up and report those stealing from the public purse.

Rachael Tiffen, Cifas’ Director of Public Sector, said: “The economic impact of the pandemic has put significant strain on council budgets. The fraudulent abuse of schemes designed to help those in need unnecessarily restricts funding for many of the services residents rely upon daily.

“Rises in the cost of living may be forcing people to look for ways to save money on their household bills. However, defrauding councils, or any organisation, is never okay and shouldn’t be viewed as a way to cut outgoings. Fraud in both the public and private sector is a serious issue and poses a threat to national security. The public are rightly outraged by the widespread fraudulent abuse of Covid-19 loans and grants, however this research suggests more common abuses of public funds aren’t viewed with the same level of dismay.”