Fraud investigators have discovered thousands of residents wrongly claiming council tax discounts in Hertfordshire, generating more than £3 million in additional income for councils across the county.
As part of the Hertfordshire Council Tax Framework, investigators reviewed single person discounts or empty property exemptions claimed in eight of the county’s ten district and borough areas in 2023/24.
They identified 780 properties that were incorrectly reported as ’empty’ and a further 3,171 that were in receipt of a discount for single occupancy.
This has resulted in an additional £3.6 million of income for councils in Hertfordshire, of which £1.5 million was allocated to the county council.
The work of the Hertfordshire Council Tax Framework, which is managed by the Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS), was highlighted at a meeting of the county council’s audit committee on Tuesday (July 23).
According to a report presented to the committee, where discounts had been wrongly claimed, new council tax bills were issued.
Where appropriate, this also led to a New Homes bonus, which is paid by the government for bringing empty properties back into use.
According to the report: “In 2023/2024, 8 of the 10 districts and boroughs signed up to take part in the review of properties that were in receipt of a single person discount, or which were recorded as being empty for at least six months.
“After the review of discounts and exemptions, new council tax bills or ‘New Homes Bonus’ were assessed with a total value of £3.6m.
“As the main preceptor from council tax revenue, this exercise will generate at least £1.5m in new revenue for HCC.”
The LDRS understands that council tax reviews have now been completed in North Herts, Hertsmere, East Herts, Stevenage, Dacorum, and St Albans, with work ongoing in Watford and Three Rivers.
Commenting on the review following the meeting, a spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Our Shared Anti-Fraud Service works tirelessly to protect taxpayer funds from fraud and abuse.
“Over the last twelve months, we have worked with district and borough councils to identify those who have claimed discounts for council tax to which they are not entitled.
“By using a range of tools and data sharing between agencies, we identified £3.6 million of discounts that should not have been claimed, which has or will be returned to fund essential services to residents.”
Deborah is a Local Democracy Reporter covering news across Hertfordshire, with a strong focus on councils, local government and public policy. Her reporting includes county council decisions, council tax, spending pressures, legal and regulatory issues, healthcare stories including junior doctors, and community projects affecting local residents.
