Wrongly claimed benefit

A Llanelli woman has been given a Community Order and fined for wrongly claiming Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

Angela Gail Georgina Millard pleaded guilty to eight offences contrary to Section 112 Social Security Administration Act 1992. Two were offences of failure to declare changes in circumstances and six of making false statements on Housing Benefit claim forms.

Carmarthen Magistrates Court was told that 56-year-old Mrs Millard had been awarded Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Council Tax Reduction at various properties from 2009 with her husband Kenneth Peter Millard.

The couple claimed for benefit when Mrs Millard went on sick leave from her employment. Mrs Millard’s employment ceased in 2010 and benefit was awarded on the basis that she was in receipt of DWP benefits. Mr Millard had been working part-time from 2011 until August 2014.

In November 2014 a data-matching exercise identified that Gail Millard was in receipt of an occupational pension from Dyfed Pension Fund and that Kenneth Millard was in receipt of a British Steel Pension. Details of the pension were obtained from the pension administrators using statutory powers.

Mrs Millard was interviewed under caution and confirmed that the two occupational pensions were being received. She claimed that she hadn’t realised that she had to declare the income on the claim form.

The court heard that the question on the claim form clearly asked whether an occupational pension was payable and there was a further question as to whether there was any other income which hadn’t been declared, but the occupational pension details had never been declared on any of the application forms. The pensions were paid into bank accounts that had not been declared on the claim forms.

Benefit was overpaid between April 1, 2010, and November 30, 2014. The overpayment was Housing Benefit £7,163.88 and Council Tax Benefit £1,266.28. There was also an overpayment of Council Tax Reduction Benefit from April 1, 2013, to November 30, 2014, of £463.16.

Mrs Millard, of Trinity Road, Llanelli, was sentenced to an 18 months Community Order with 18 months supervision, fined £100, and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £252 and a Victim Surcharge of £15.

Executive board member for resources Cllr David Jenkins said: “The local authority is keen that people claim any Housing Benefit that they are entitled to.

“But as a council we are also determined to crack down on fraudulent claims. Benefit fraud takes money from the public purse that could otherwise be used for funding essential services.”
Members of the public can report any suspicion of benefit fraud in the county via the Carmarthenshire County Council Fraud Hotline 0800 – 801116 or via the council website.