Issue - meetings
Council Tax, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support Penalty and Prosecution Policy (review)
Meeting: 30/11/2023 - Audit and Governance Committee (Item 243)
Purpose
To present the Audit and Governance Committee with an updated Council Tax, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support Penalty and Prosecution Policy for comment.
Recommendation
That the Committee:
Considers the Council Tax, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support Penalty and Prosecution Policy to comment thereon to Cabinet, to aid its deliberations and decision making.
Invited
Emma Cathcart, Head of the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit
Additional documents:
- CTAX HB and CTRS Penalty and Prosecution Policy 2023, item 243
PDF 408 KB
- Webcast for Council Tax, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support Penalty and Prosecution Policy (review)
Minutes:
The Head of Service for the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit (CFEU) introduced the item.
The Purpose was to present the Committee with an updated Council Tax, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support Penalty and Prosecution Policy for comment.
The Head of Services for the CFEU stated that it had been updated to ensure uniformity across the CFEU Partner Councils as this area of work is undertaken across all six Councils by the CFEU.
The only significant policy change was that relating to the value of the Housing Benefit required before a Civil Penalty can be applied. It has been increased to £500 from £250.
Members asked questions on the report. The Head of the CFEU mentioned that there if there were attempts to commit fraud, a Caution was not offered, instead a Criminal Penalty could be applied however where is it was clearly a deliberate or repeated attempt, the perpetrator could be prosecuted.
Councillor Coleman proposed the recommendation as set out in the report, and Councillor Wilkins seconded.
RESOLVED: To recommend the policy to Cabinet for approval.
Voting record For- 4, Against 0, Abstentions 0