Basildon Council has uncovered more than £200,000 of fraudulent benefit claims after joining forces with the Benefits Agency in an effort to beat dole cheats.
The council's benefit team has been working with the agency in Great Oaks, Basildon, for the past 18 months, cracking down on people who fraudulently claim benefits.
Not only are more claims jointly reviewed by the team, but as part of a nationwide exercise Basildon is also contributing information to the central Benefits Agency computer matching service.
This hi-tech service highlights cases where people have falsified information.
The initiative and results has received praise from councillors on Basildon's resource committee.
When overpayment is detected action is quickly taken to recover the money. Penalties include prosecution, which in turn often leads to not only repayment but also payment of additional penalties and costs.
Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article