A Bedford man must pay more than £7,000 after failing to declare he no longer lived at his social housing property and continued to falsely claim Council payments.
Shaun Johnson, 41, who held a tenancy at Roise Court, Bedford, appeared before Luton Magistrates’ Court on Friday 8 May.
Johnson, of Magpie Gardens, Wixams, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Fraud Act and the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (Detection of Fraud and Enforcement (England) Regulations 2013). He failed to report to Bedford Borough Council and bpha that he was no longer a resident at the address and continued to receive a total of £5,771 in Council Tax Reduction payments.
The Court imposed total penalties of £1,386, including fines, surcharge and costs. Johnson will also have to repay the total cost of the payments he wrongly claimed.
The Court heard that Johnson had been allocated the social housing property by bpha since March 2015. As a social housing tenant and receiving Council Tax Reduction payments, Johnson was required to notify both the Council and bpha of any change in circumstances, including if he stopped using the property as his main home.
Council officers launched an investigation following an anonymous tip-off that Johnson had not been living in the property, which was confirmed by significant evidence of a pattern of non-occupation, backed by CCTV footage from September last year.
Johnson admitted to the Court he had been staying at another address in Wixams with his former partner and their two children, acknowledging he may not have stayed at the Roise Court flat “as much as he should.”
Councillor Marc Frost, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate Services said; “Social Housing and the Council Tax Reduction Scheme exist to support those in genuine need.
“When individuals retain properties they are not living in and claim or continue to receive support they are not entitled to, they deprive vulnerable people and families of a safe place to call home. They also place additional strain on Council funds that could be used to support residents in genuine need.
“Bedford Borough Council and bpha are committed to investigating frauds of this nature and ensuring that social housing and Council funds are used for the purposes they are intended for.”
Residents who have concerns of anyone sub-letting or committing tenancy or council tax fraud can contact the Investigation Service, in confidence, using the online reporting form at https://reportafraud.co.uk/bedfordbc
Find out more information on tenancy fraud at https://www.bedford.gov.uk/housing/tenancy-fraud
