An FOI has revealed that Cambridgeshire councils have paid out millions over a 10-year period in incorrect Council Tax support and discount claimsCambridgeshire councils have paid out millions over 10 years in incorrect council tax support(Image: Nick Wilkinson)Councils in Cambridgeshire have paid out millions of pounds in incorrect council tax support and discount claims in the last 10 years, we can reveal. Freedom of Information requests submitted by CambridgeshireLive have shown just how much councils have paid out in incorrect claims over the last decade (between January 2016 and April 2026).Fenland District Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council have provided details on how much each council has paid out, as well as on prosecutions arising from the payouts.Over a 10-year period, Fenland District Council has paid out £3,028,108.64 in “fraud and error” payments, while East Cambridgeshire has paid out £2,013,762.89. Fenland paid out money in the following years:January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016 – £12,562.04April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 – £121,230.30April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018 – £205,105.60April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019 – £154,130.30April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 – £233,522.20April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 – £176.170/20April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 – £150,802.40April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 – £179.630.80April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2025 – £610,845.60April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025 – £594,007.90April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 – £590,101.30From the money that FDC paid out over the 10 years, 10 people were prosecuted. These were:Three people between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017. One person was handed a six-month suspended sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of community work. The council were unable to find the sentences for the two other individuals. These were all prosecuted in April 2016.Two people were prosecuted between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020. One person was handed a £440 fine in July 2019, and another was handed a £833 fine in November 2019.Two people were prosecuted between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023. One person was handed a 12-month community order with 220 hours of unpaid work in November 2022. The other person was handed a conditional discharge for six months in March 2023.One person was prosecuted between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025. They were given a £392 fine in March 2025.Two people were prosecuted between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. One person was given a £200 fine in March 2026, while the other was given a £1,723 fine in the same month.A FDC spokesperson said the amount of incorrect and false Council Tax Support claims and discounts that have been identified has “rapidly risen since the collaboration of partners as part of the Cambridgeshire Fraud Hub project”.The spokesperson added: “Fenland District Council, together with our partners at Cambridgeshire County Council, supported our Council Tax service partners Anglia Revenues Partnership to begin this work in Fenland in April 2023.“The work of Cambridgeshire Fraud Hub continues in Fenland and beyond to identify false and incorrect claims and discounts. This is vital to ensure resources are available to provide support to those who really need it and ensure those making an incorrect claim are identified.“People who claim Council Tax Support and Council Tax discounts must honestly declare several things to show they are eligible, which includes information about their income, whether children or adults live with them, any savings they have and other factors.“It’s vital, and incumbent on individuals, that if circumstances change, we are updated. This means anyone who qualifies for support can access it and get our help and those who no longer qualify can avoid risking a potentially large repayment bill or even a fine and criminal record.”East Cambridgeshire District Council has paid out money in the following years:January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016 – £35,710.89April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 – £87,484.04April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018 – £105,008.10April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019 – £165,746.54April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 – £110,912.75April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 – £78,608.60April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 – £83,742.54April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 – £90,761.34April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 – £496,582.97April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025 – £337,4764.85April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 – £421,730.27Four people have been prosecuted over the last 10 years as a result of this. These were:One person between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022. They were handed an 18-month conditional discharge in August 2021.One person between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023. They were handed a 12-month community order and ordered to work 100 hours of unpaid work in November 2022.One person between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. They were sentenced to 26 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months in June 2023.One person between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025. They were handed a £200 fine in June 2024.A spokesperson for East Cambridgeshire District Council said: “The amount of incorrect and false Council Tax Support claims and discounts being identified has risen following a collaboration of partners as part of the Cambridgeshire Fraud Hub project.”East Cambridgeshire District Council, together with our partners at Cambridgeshire County Council and supported our Council Tax service partners Anglia Revenues Partnership began this work in April 2023. The aim of the project is to identify false and incorrect claims and discounts.”This is vital to ensure resources are available to provide support to those who really need it and ensure those making an incorrect claim are identified. People who claim Council Tax Support and Council Tax discounts must honestly declare several things to show they are eligible, which includes information about their income, whether children or adults live with them, any savings they have and other factors.”It’s vital, and incumbent on individuals, that if circumstances change, we are updated. This means anyone who qualifies for support can access it and get our help and those who no longer qualify can avoid risking a potentially large repayment bill or even a fine and criminal record.”South Cambridgeshire District Council provided information on how many prosecutions have been made due to incorrect Council Tax support and discount claims paid out.In total, 34 prosecutions were made. These were:2016 – one2017 – two2018 – seven2019 – six2020 – two2021 – one2022 – one2023 – zero2024 – two2025 – 12.South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Natalie Warren-Green said: “Our priority is to be fair for all residents. Claiming a Council Tax discount or support without eligibility creates an unfair burden on others and diverts vital resources away from essential community services.”We encourage all residents to accurately report their circumstances so that Council Tax Support is awarded correctly. We are always happy to speak with anyone who has questions, to ensure they receive the support they are entitled to.”We proactively work to prevent Council Tax Support fraud through a combination of controls, awareness, and enforcement. This involves public awareness campaigns, encouraging residents to ‘Do the right thing’, which supports early reporting and prevention.”We will take appropriate enforcement action where deliberate fraud is identified – this is an important deterrent and demonstrates that misuse of public funds will not be tolerated. Together, these measures help ensure that public funds are protected and that support is provided fairly to those who genuinely need it.”Peterborough City Council said it has not paid out anything incorrect Council Tax support and discount claims, while Cambridge City Council has not provided an FOI response.
Councils fork out millions over 10 years in ‘false’ council tax support
