£1.5 million in incorrectly claimed Council Tax support and discounts being recovered
False and incorrect claims of Council Tax support and discounts in Fenland totalling almost £1.5 million have been identified and are now being recovered, thanks to a fraud crackdown.

A dedicated team continues to work with a focus on ensuring those who need support get it and those who claim incorrectly are found.
Cllr Jan French, Fenland District Council's portfolio holder for Anglia Revenue Partnership, said: "Our focus is on ensuring people who need help can access it.
"We urge anyone who is struggling with household finances to get in touch for advice and support on whether they qualify for help with Council Tax.
"Those who incorrectly claim financial support take money out of pots that both support those in most need and fund the vital services that every Fenland resident and business relies upon.
"We're grateful for this work to identify discrepancies and recover the money. And we warn anyone who does this deliberately that they're not only risking a hefty, backdated bill but also a fine or criminal record."
Cllr Karen Young, Chair of the Assets & Procurement Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: "We've worked closely with Fenland District Council and other partners across the county to detect fraud and ensure households are paying the correct amount of council tax.
"Fraudulently claiming discounts and support deprives local services of vital funds and it is right that we are vigilant to detect and correct improper claims."
Council Tax help for households includes Single Person Discount for one-adult households to reduce their Council Tax bill. And Council Tax Support, to reduce the bill, for eligible people.
In Fenland, in the financial year to April 2025, incorrect claims of Single Person Discount and Council Tax Support, either made in error or fraudulently, totalling £594,008 were uncovered. The total includes overpayments made to individuals in that financial year as well as back-dated payments in previous years.
In the financial year to April 2024, £610,846 incorrect awards were uncovered.
As soon as a discrepancy is uncovered work begins to reclaim the money.
The work to uncover incorrect claims is being undertaken by the Anglia Revenues Partnership (ARP) as part of the Cambridgeshire Fraud Hub, with support from Fenland District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council.
ARP operates Council Tax administration on behalf of the collection authority, Fenland District Council. The county council is the largest beneficiary of Council Tax, receiving around 75 per cent of the total amount paid to fund services including highway and road maintenance, social services and education.
Already in the current financial year, £290,681 of incorrect claims have been uncovered. That far exceeds the total amount of fraud and error identified in the entire year before the Cambridgeshire Fraud Hub was established, to April 2023, when £179,631 of incorrect claims were uncovered.
Prosecutions are pursued in appropriate cases and where the public interest test has been met.
- For Council Tax information, help and support see: Council Tax
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September 2025