A BENEFITS officer at Barnsley Council was sacked for committing benefit fraud, a council report reveals.
Barnsley Council’s corporate anti-fraud team established that a benefits, taxation and income officer had failed to inform the council of four separate changes in circumstances that would affect their benefit entitlement.
The failure to report these changes, which included increases in contracted hours and salary, resulted in a housing benefit overpayment of £3,798.40 and council tax support of £761.55.
The officer was suspended and the matter was referred to the DWP for investigation.
A report to the council’s audit committee explains that the employee admitted being knowledgeable about housing benefit legislation and the implications a change in circumstance may have on benefit entitlement during a management interview, but was unable to provide satisfactory explanations for the failure to report the changes.
The fraud team’s evidence and findings were forwarded to management and the officer was later dismissed for gross misconduct at a disciplinary hearing.
Due to the value of the council tax support overpayment, £761.55, it was not considered to be in the public interest for the council to pursue a criminal prosecution. However, the DWP has undertaken its own investigation of the larger overpayment of housing benefit and the case is currently with the Crown Prosecution Service for a possible criminal prosecution.
