Number of Hartlepool people claiming council tax discount falls by hundreds following fraud crackdown

It was announced earlier this year Hartlepool Borough Council was looking at targeting the numbers of people wrongly claiming single person discount on their council tax bills, both intentionally and unintentionally.

This was followed by a “prosecution amnesty” in April ahead of a new sanction policy taking effect.

The discount provides a 25% reduction to households and is available if only one person 18 years or over lives at a property as their sole or main residence.

It can also be claimed where there are two adults living at a property but where one is disregarded for council tax. For example, as a full-time student.

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The latest meeting of the finance and policy committee heard the council initially targeted a reduction of 400 households in those claiming the discount for 2024-25, which would save the authority around £150,000.

As of the end of June the number claimants had reduced by 220, which had risen to “over 300” as of the end of August.

James Magog, director of finance, IT and digital, said: “I think a lot of that figure initially was publicity and the fact that we were going to do this made people contact the council and say am I still eligible?

“I still think there is quite a way to go, I still think there is fraud, and when I say fraud I don’t necessarily mean deliberate fraud because I do recognise some of this is undeliberate fraud.

“I am hopeful that figure will ramp up and the single person discounts will reduce.”