YOU published a letter from G T Tandy of Malvern (You Say, January 2) concerning a report of a meeting of Malvern Hills District Council's Executive Committee in December about Housing Benefit. Mr Tandy was upset because he felt that your report implied that all benefit claimants were fraudsters.
If your readers have gained this impression I would like to correct that by telling them that the amount of benefit overpaid by the council as a result of claimant fraud and error is very small relative to the total amount of benefit paid, approximately £300,000 a year against £11,000,000, or less than three per cent.
People on low incomes must not be put off from applying for benefit that they may be entitled to, for fear of being accused of fraud.
However, £300,000 a year is still a lot of taxpayers' money and we have rigorous verification and investigation procedures in place to ensure that overpayments are prevented as far as possible, and where they do occur, are identified and recovered.
ALAN DAVIES,
Head of Revenues Services,
Malvern Hills District Council.
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