Cost and number of fraudulent CTR claims in past ten years
Received 15 May 2026
I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information. Please may you provide me with the following information:
- How much money has the council paid out in false and incorrect Council Tax support and discounts claims between January 2016 and April 2026? And can this be broken down into a year-by-year basis?
- Has the council tried to prosecute anyone that has claimed false and incorrect council tax support and discounts, and if so, how many between January 2016 and April 2026? And can this be broken down into a year-by-year basis
- Of the prosecutions submitted between January 2016 and April 2026, how many of these have been successful? Of the successful ones, can they be broken down into what year and month they took place, who was prosecuted, and the repercussions of that prosecution?
Responded 4 June 2026
| Period | Prosecutions | Name | Hearing | Sentence | £ Fraud and error identified in CTS and SPD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01.01.16 to 31.03.16 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 35710.89 |
| 01.04.16 to 31.03.17 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 87484.04 |
| 01.04.17 to 31.03.18 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 105008.1 |
| 01.04.18 to 31.03.19 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 165746.54 |
| 01.04.19 t0 31.03.20 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 110912.75 |
| 01.04.20 to 31.03.21 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 78608.6 |
| 01.04.21 to 31.03.22 | 1 | withheld personal data in the form of the names of the individuals prosecuted is exempt under GDPR / DPA | August 2021 | 18 month conditional discharge | 83742.54 |
| 01.04.22 to 31.03.23 | 1 | withheld personal data in the form of the names of the individuals prosecuted is exempt under GDPR / DPA | November 2022 | 12 month community order, requirement to undertake 100 hours unpaid work | 90761.34 |
| 01.04.23 to 31.03.24 | 1 | withheld personal data in the form of the names of the individuals prosecuted is exempt under GDPR / DPA | June 2023 | 26 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months | 496582.97 |
| 01.04.24 to 31.03.25 | 1 | withheld personal data in the form of the names of the individuals prosecuted is exempt under GDPR / DPA | Jun 2024 | £200 fine | 337474.85 |
| 01.04.25 to 31.03.26 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 421730.27 |