Town halls could be handed greater powers to fine benefit cheats – rather than pursue expensive and time-consuming legal cases – under Coalition plans to devolve control of council tax support.
As part of plans being considered by ministers and officials, councils would be legally empowered to levy a new set of fines on residents, or employers of local residents, caught making or supporting potentially fraudulent or misleading council tax benefit (CTB) claims. But enforcement powers supporting the full transfer of CTB to localities from April 2013 are unlikely to include strong ‘powers of entry' – to residents' homes – to assist town hall inquiries.
