Westminster Council recovers £250,000 from housing benefit cheats » Bill payments » 24dash.com

Westminster City Council has recovered more than £250,000 from housing benefit cheats in the last financial year, according to the latest figures.

Over the same period 18 people were successfully prosecuted while 59 fines and 43 cautions were handed out.

In one high-profile case, the council helped secure the conviciton of Jean Hutchinson, 65, who was the mastermind behind a £1.8m benefits scam.

The council blew the whistle on the Maida Vale pensioner after becoming suspicious of her claims and notified the Department for Work and Pensions.

Hutchinson was sentenced to five years in jail and her accomplice, Ralph Dale, who was also her cousin, was sentenced to four years in prison.

Toni Walker, Head of Risk and Audit at Westminster Council, said: “Benefit fraud is theft from hard working taxpayers.

"We do not tolerate housing benefit fraud and will always seek prosecution to deter others from trying to cheat the system.

"Benefit cheats take money intended for the most vulnerable in our society.”

The council's fraud team carries out extensive data matching with central government records together with other proactive measures to detect benefit fraud.

Members of the public can contact the council’s fraud hotline on 0800 028 9888 or report fraud over the Internet.

Westminster will continue to pursue benefit cheats who have defrauded the council to recover any overpayments and take appropriate action against them.