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Old 15-07-2017, 11:46   #421
Osem
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Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nomadking View Post
17 in the whole country?
This is EIGHT just in the Westminster area.

From a FOI request from 2011 for JUST Westminster
[COLOR=#000000]
From DWP report: Housing Benefit caseload breakdown - March 2011
So were does the 17 come from?
From the figures for previous years it can be clearly seen that the problem arose from the Local Housing Allowance system introduced in 2008. In just 2 years the number even in the £25K-£30K band tripled. The problem was that for large houses, the sky was the limit. People were DELIBERATELY moving into expensive areas because they knew it would be all covered by the taxpayer.

Then there is this case which is beyond belief.
From an Upper Tribunal ruling where the guy WON a rehearing.
In other words he was claiming and RECEIVING £1,000/week, even though his actual rent was a quarter of that. £750/week in free money in his pocket. How did Islington council allow that?


and I wonder how many of the properties involved are being sublet either wholly or partially...

A fairly recent TV documentary highlighted the case of HB fraud and tracked a guy who had a house and was claiming HB in the UK whilst he was living and working in Belgium and doing the same thing there. It beggars belief but I believe it's a lot more prevalent that some people would care to admit. The councils don't have the will and/or the resources to tackle it and doing so would simply prove just how bad the reality is. Rather like the approach of the various authorities to the child abuse in certain areas of the UK, it's easier to turn a blind eye to the true scale of the problem.
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