New measures aimed at cracking down on benefit fraud will give investigators “direct access” to people’s bank accounts. This comes after chancellor Rachel Reeves announced this week that the Department for Work and Pensions will be given enhanced legal powers and more resources for anti-fraud work. Bolton has seen several high-profile fraud cases in recent years, connected to both benefits payments and to other institutions.
Conservative group leader Cllr Martyn Cox said: “One of the key things that deters people is when they see that someone who has committed fraud has been caught, prosecuted and jailed. “And so when they are not caught, they are not brought to trial and they are not jailed then people will think they are going to get away with it.” DWP investigators will get enhanced powers (Image: PA) He added: “I think it’s important that in cases like these a suspect is brought to trial and dealt with quickly.
” The crackdown on fraud announced by Labour’s Rachel Reeves will, she says, focus particularly on criminal gangs orchestrating offences like these. Addressing the House of Commons last Wednesday, Ms Reeves said that this was one of several measures that would help make welfare spending more sustainable. She said: “We will expand DWP’s counter-fraud teams using innovative new methods to prevent illegal activity and provide new legal powers to crackdown on fraudsters, including direct access to bank accounts to recover debt .
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