Ryedale District Council does not tolerate fraud targeting public funds. We have a duty to protect tax payers’ money and safeguard the services that support our community.
Veritau investigates all suspected fraud committed against us, on our behalf. Fraud costs councils across the UK an estimated £2 billion per year, depriving councils of essential resources which could be used to provide services to members of our community.
If someone provides false information or fails to report a change in their circumstances in relation to any service from the council, then they may be committing fraud. This could include:
- intentionally failing to report a change in circumstances
- providing false or misleading information in order to obtain funds (such as a council tax or business rates discount or other forms of financial assistance)
Veritau’s counter fraud team investigates all fraud committed against the council, including:
- Council tax and business rate fraud
- Local council tax support fraud
- Fraudulent applications for Covid-19 related grants and payments
More information about each of these fraud types can be found below.
Council tax fraud
Council tax fraud occurs when someone knowingly gives incorrect or misleading information, or fails to inform us of a change in circumstances in order to pay less or no council tax.
For example, they may claim to be the only person living in a house, when more than one person lives there. Or they may falsely claim to be a student, when they’re not. It’s also an offence to claim a single person discount for a property that’s not your main home.
For further guidance, see Council tax discounts
Non-domestic (business) rates fraud
Business rates fraud occurs when a person attempts to gain relief/exemptions from business rates or business grants that they’re not entitled to, either by making a false statement or failing to disclose information.
See our Small business rate relief page for eligibility criteria and for links to information about other types of business rate relief.
Council tax support fraud
Council tax support, also known as council tax reduction, is a means-tested system that gives eligible people a percentage reduction on their council tax bill.
Fraud against this scheme can include providing false information about who lives at your address, or about how much capital or income you have. It can also include failing to tell the council about a change relating to one of these things.
Covid-19 related payment fraud
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government introduced a number of measures to offer financial support to people and businesses. These include grants for businesses and Test & Trace support payments for people who have lost income due to having to self-isolate.
If somebody has provided false information in order to obtain any of these payments then this could constitute fraud.
Fraud prevention and data matching exercises
Veritau also carries out regular fraud prevention and data matching exercises to protect the council against fraud.
Data matching involves comparing computer records held by different organisations or systems, and these include the government’s National Fraud Initiative and other local initiatives. Where necessary, we also share information with the Department for Work and Pensions, other councils and relevant organisations, in order to prevent and detect fraud.
How to report fraud
By email: counter.fraud@veritau.co.uk
By telephone: 0800 9179 247
By post to: Veritau Fraud, West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA
We rely on members of the public to report all suspected cases of fraud and misuse of council funds, and we investigate all reports we receive. Any information you provide can be reported anonymously if you wish.