Two Altrincham men have been convicted of dishonestly obtaining benefits totalling over £22,000 from Trafford Council.
Jonathan Ascott, 42, of The Gorse, Bowdon was convicted of obtaining housing benefit, council tax benefit and council tax support amounting to £12,699.48.
He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to obtaining benefit to which he was not entitled by not reporting he had somebody else living in the household. As a result he had been overpaid benefit between March 2009 and April 2013.
He was handed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £350 towards prosecution costs, and must repay all of the benefits he wrongfully obtained.
Ellis Kidd, 47, of Grosvenor Road, Altrincham, was also convicted of dishonestly obtaining housing benefit, council tax benefit and council tax support from the Council, amounting to £9,926.80.
He had received benefits for himself, his wife and three children on the basis that their only income was his wife’s earnings. However he had failed to inform Trafford Council that he had been working since February 2013.
This resulted in an overpayment of benefits between March 2013 and October 2014. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with a requirement to undertake 160 hours’ unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay costs of £338.90 and a victim surcharge of £60, as well as repaying the Council.
Ian Duncan, director of finance for Trafford Council, said: “Once again Trafford Council is showing that it will not hesitate to use the full force of the law to bring benefit fraudsters to task.
“It is totally unacceptable for anyone to think they can get away with claiming money to which they are not entitled. To make sure they do not fall foul of the law, claimants must inform the relevant agency of their true personal circumstances when they make their claim. They must also make sure they notify agencies immediately if their circumstances change in any way.”
