HOUSING benefit bosses are taking tougher action to claw back more than £250,000 in overpayments.

They want to deduct sums directly from the housing benefits claimed by Bury Council tenants, rather than a constant to-and-fro of letters.

The council has to recover overpayments from people who claim benefits and either delay or forget to tell the council when their circumstances change and they are entitled to less money.

Until now, the housing department has chased local authority tenants while the revenues and benefits division has concentrated on private and housing association tenants.

Councillors have now approved transferring all recovery methods to the revenues division, following recommendations by external and internal auditors. However, housing bosses worry that the move might create another problem: any deduction from benefits might mean that tenants are left with less money to pay their rents.

Coun Paul Nesbit, housing spokesman, said: "We are aware that may happen and in order to address that we are considering placing staff in our area housing offices who can offer benefits advice, information and any help they may need. We are duty bound to recover benefits which have been overpaid for whatever reason," he added.

"This is a difficult situation but we need to make in-roads into the amount of cash which is owed to us and we see this as the best way forward."

The new way of recovering overpayments will start later this year.

Officials stress that it will not be a blanket policy and that each case will still be considered on its merits.

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