Sanctions, prosecution, and fines

Wokingham Borough Council has a duty to protect funds and public services and will take appropriate action against those committing fraud.   

Action can include prosecution, fines and penalties. Steps will also be taken to recover funds a person has received they were not entitled to. 

There are a number of actions the Council may take when a fraud offence has been committed: 

Prosecution - if the offence is serious and in the public interest. For example, the fraud has gone on for a long time, it is not the first time, the fraudster was in a position of trust, significant time and effort has gone into executing dishonesty elements, the fraud is of a high amount. 

Fines or administrative penalties - this is an option for lower-level fraud and an alternative to prosecution. This could be issued when a person has not updated the Council of a change of circumstances, for example under The Council Tax Reduction Scheme (Detection of Fraud & Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2013 it is an offence to make a false statement to the Council or to fail to notify a change in circumstances.