Benefit cheats must do unpaid work

THREE people were ordered to repay housing and council tax benefits they received through cheating the system and also carry out unpaid community work when they made separate appearances before magistrates at Warrington.
After the hearings, Adrian Webster, the borough council’s benefits manager, said: “Deliberately withholding information that affects your claim is stealing. That’s why we are targeting benefit thieves.
“We’re closing in on benefit thieves with every means at our disposal.”
Simon Ward, 48, of Arizona Crescent, Chapelford pleaded guilty to three offences of failing to notify the council when he became self employed and continuing to accept housing benefit payments of £10,446 and council tax benefit of £3,504.
He was ordered to repay the overpayment, plus £100 costs, and sentenced to 250 hours unpaid work.
Leslie Jones, 55, of Ollerton Close, pleaded guilty to two offences of failing to notify the council when he started work while continuing to accept housing benefit payments of £2,189 and council tax benefit of £529.
He was ordered to repay the overpayment and sentenced to 100 hours unpaid work.
Alison Callon, 32, of Fife Road pleaded guilty to an offence of failing to notify the council that she had started work while continuing to accept housing benefit payments of £2,200 and council tax benefit of £315.
She was ordered to repay the overpayment to the council and was sentenced to 60 hours unpaid work.