Benefits cheats to be be named-and-shamed

10:20pm Wednesday 19th March 2008

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BENEFIT cheats will be named and shamed as part of a council's zero-tolerance campaign.

Rossendale Council is warning residents who claim benefits they are not entitled to that they will be caught and placed on their website.

As part of the anti-fraud campaign, posters will be displayed across the borough.

The council has prosecuted five people for benefit fraud since May last year.

Anne Egan, of Bacup, received a 36-week suspended sentence and 100 hours community punishment after she cheated tax payers out of over £30,000 by failing to declare that her partner was living with her.

Keith Broxton, of Lumb, was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 costs when he lied about his savings so he could claim over £11,000 in job seekers allowance and council tax benefit.

Shirley Smith, of Stacksteads, dishonestly received housing benefit and council tax benefit payments totalling over £11,000 by failing to notify the Council and Department of Work and Pensions that she was in employment.

She received 18-months conditional discharge.

Details of other benefit cheats can be found on the Council's website.

Head of customer services and ICT at Rossendale Council, Andrew Buckle, said the council had a zero-tolerance attitude towards benefit fraud.

He said: "The methods available to us are getting more sophisticated and agencies are getting better at working together to tackle fraud.

"Those who try to cheat the system end up hitting those who need benefits the most. Benefit fraud is not a vic-timless crime."